Is It Wrong To Bring A Djinn Into A Dungeon?
by Glader96
Summary: Bell Cranel's "Grandfather" did a good job in convincing his impressionable grandson to become an Adventurer, one might say he did too good of a job. When a random Stray Dungeon rises into existence just a few leagues away from the whitehaired child's home the day after his "Grandfather" passes from the world, Bell sees no better way to honor the man's legacy than to delve into it.
1. Chapter 1: The 1st Dungeon

Danmachi X Magi Crossover

Is it Wrong to Bring a Djinn in the Dungeon?

* * *

Summary: Bell Cranel's "Grandfather" did a good job in convincing his impressionable "grandson" to become an Adventurer, one might say he did too good of a job preparing the youth. When a random Stray Dungeon rises into existence just a few leagues away from the whitehaired child's home the day after his "Grandfather" passes from the world, Bell sees no better way to honor the man's legacy than to enter the Dungeon and reach its end.

* * *

Bell had no idea conquering a Dungeon would be so difficult! It took every bit of the training his grandfather had ingrained in him just to survive at first, but after what felt like days the boy learned how to adapt his training to advance through the Dungeon.

With his grandfather's preternaturally sharp and durable sword, Bell gained proficiency in slaughtering dragonlings, became skilled in removing the heads of wyverns, and, eventually, was able to slay a fully grown Dragon, even if the deed was only done by forcing the beast's powerful breath attack to backfire on its self. After what felt like an eternity Bell reached what could only be the Dungeon's end.

A countless number of coins, both gold and silver, laid scattered around the floor's edges in piles and strewn with the piles randomly were other expensive looking treasures. Swords, knives, polearms, and other weapons adorned with gold, silver, and countless jewels. Adorning the walls were tapestries of silk while in the wall enclave tablewares made out of precious metals sat proudly around centerpiece gems of incredible size. And seated boldly in the middle of the room on a stone pedestal was a lamp made out of dull gold with the design of an eight-pointed star enclosed in a circle carved perfectly on its side.

In a way Bell couldn't understand he was drawn to that lamp. Despite being the least expensive looking item in the room, it was the object that Bell felt compelled to approach first, and once he did the world around him disappeared in a flash of light.

"Agghhaa!" The brightness of the flash burnt the boy's eyes even through his closed eyelids, forcing him to turn away from the source of the light while covering his eyes with his arm.

"**Welcome young man**," A deep overwhelming voice echoed through the treasure room. "**To my Dungeon.**"

Opening his eyes and looking towards the source of the voice, Bell beheld a sight unlike any he had ever seen before. A giant being, completely blue in coloration, that was somehow a fusion between man and dragon floated with his legs crossed above the lamp Bell had just been examining. The man-dragon was lightly dressed, wearing only a white skirt secured by a red belt and a gold amulet upon his chest that was the twin to his belt's buckle. The being's great arms were covered in glossy blue scales and dangerous looking spikes protruded from his forearms while from its fingers great, wickedly sharp claws gleamed dangerously. Atop the blue man-dragon's head, two curved horns that turned inward at their tips surrounded a red glowing third eye and a long, wild, main of blue-black hair extended down the being's back and around his neck. Finally, upon the man-dragon's back stretched two slowly flapping bat-like wings, each of the wing's corners tipped by curved claws.

"**I am the Djinn who rules this Dungeon; Baal, the Djinn of Wrath and Heroes**." The blue man-dragon addressed the awestruck boy, somehow without even moving his mouth to speak, even as Bell continued to gawk at what he was seeing. "**I am very impressed by your resolve young man. You possess not the extreme talent nor the superior existence that the last man that conquered my Dungeon possessed, but through sheer determination, grit, and extreme growth you have done what should be impossible to one such as yourself. As such I shall accept you as my master.**"

"Um… thank you?" Bell scratched the back of his head in confusion. "But what exactly is a Djinn? Are you like the deus that Grandpa told me about? Can you help me become an Adventurer? A Hero?"

"**Has it truly been so long that this world has forgotten our existence?**" Ball mused absently before turning his attention back to Bell. "**To answer your questions young man; I am not a got for I am a being of power whose existence is tied to this world unlike those who have come from the Upper Realms. As a Djinn, I am a spirit of immense power whose purpose is to grant prodigious power to those capable of being great kings. So, while I cannot grant you the grace of a god's Falna if you learn how to wield my magic well, I have no doubt you will become a Hero like few before you. Tell me, young man, what is your name? Do you seek to become a Hero with all your soul?**"

"Yes!" Bell's answer came without hesitation. "My name is Bell Cranel and I dream of being a Hero that can reach the end of the Great Dungeon!"

"**Very well Bell Cranel!**" Baal surrounded both sides of Bell with his clawed hands. His fingers curving as if he was delicately holding a glass orb that contained the boy in the center. "**You shall be my newest Metal Vessel wielder, draw your sword!**"

As the spirit commanded Bell smoothly drew the sword his grandfather had left him. Then, in another blinding flash of light, the encircled eight-pointed star sigil that had adorned the dull gold lamp now resided upon the sword's blade, just above where the hilt met the blade itself.

"Go forth young Bell, my new master." Looking up from his sword, Bell's eyes widened when he realized that he was no longer in the Dungeon's treasure room and that Baal's giant form had disappeared. Instead, it looked like he was flying through a great void on a light blue platform of light towards a ball of blue and green, and sitting next to him on the light platform were half a dozen giant burlap sacks filled with what looked to be the treasures from the last room of the Dungeon. "I eagerly look forward to seeing your journey to becoming a Hero."

Then, after one final flash of light, Bell Cranel opened his eyes to find himself back at the area just outside Baal's Dungeon entrance, only the foreboding structure was completely gone! Scattered about the area were the giant sacks of treasure, while within Bell's head only one thought dominated his mind.

_I can do it! I can be an Adventurer, a Hero! It is time Grandpa; I'm going to go to Orario! To the Great Dungeon City!_

Though as Bell looked towards the slowly rising sun a stray thought slipped from his lips:

"Umm… What am I supposed to do with all this treasure though?"

* * *

In this world where gods have descended from the heavens to live amongst the mortal races, where magic is a common practice, and where many nations exist, one existence exists that draws the eyes of mortals and immortals alike; the Great Dungeon of Orario.

An enormous structure of unknown size, the Great Dungeon or Orario is both a place of death and a provider of prosperity. For only within the Great Dungeon are Magic Stones produced, wonderous objects that can be used in all manner of ways to make the lives of the city's denizens better. However, Magic Stones are only found within the denizens of the Great Dungeon; within monsters, and monsters of the Great Dungeon hate all the surface races. So, to collect the precious material, courageous men and women of the city take up the mantle of Adventurer and delve into the Great Dungeon's depths.

To assist these brave men and women of the mortal races, gods and goddesses who had descended from the heaves to the mortal plane graced Adventurers with their Falna, their Blessing, and claim them as their children, making those children a part of their Familia. Many Familias, each serving a specific deus exist, and almost all of them focus their efforts on exploring the Great Dungeon, for it is the greatest source of strength for those blessed by the Falna and best source of Magic Stones for the city above the Great Dungeon.

However, it is a well-known fact to the denizens of this world that the Great Dungeon is not the only Dungeon. Aberrant Dungeons, the term used to describe the structures that appear and disappear all around the globe, have been reported to exist since before the gods descended from the Upper Realms 1000 years ago. Unlike the Great Dungeon though, there has never been a record of one returning after entering an Aberrant Dungeon, and due to how quickly the structures relocate no Familia-aligned party of Adventurers has ever had the chance to challenge one. For surely a party of Adventurers graced with the Falna would be able to face an Aberrant's challenges… especially if they were Adventurers who had surpassed Level 1… right?

Never before has an Aberrant Dungeon been explored and the explorer seen alive again, at least not before the legendary Adventurer Bell Cranel; famed Dungeon Capturer, the Lightning Emperor, the Hero of Elements, the Lord Argonaut, the Rabbit King! He who conquered the first Aberrant Dungeon would go forth to change the World!


	2. Chapter 2: Where the Path Leads

Chapter 2: Where The Path Leads

Glancing between the face of Mary Clair, the tavern owner that had lived next door to him and his grandfather as long as he could remember, and the tombstone marking the final resting place of said grandfather, Bell Cranel couldn't keep a look of absolute disbelief off his innocent face.

_Three months! I've been in the Dungeon for three whole months!_

"I-It feels like I only entered the Aberrant Dungeon yesterday." Looking at the face of disappointment on the woman that had practically raised him, Bell only just managed to stammer past the wave of guilt that flooded over him. "I know I fell asleep a few times while exploring, but I swear, to me it feels like it has only been two days since Grand-dad passed-"

Mary's face, weathered by age and marred by stress, looked like it was chiseled out of stone as she gazed down at the white-haired boy she had helped raise. A boy whom she had considered a son after her own son had died childless to a stray monster and her daughter died a penniless whore on the streets of Orario. When Bell had disappeared days after his grandfather's death, she had prayed that he had just left for the city housing the Great Dungeon without telling anyone, because the alternative would have been that she had lost yet another child to this cruel world. The old mother used to heartbreak looked deep into this child's wide and panicked eyes, and she let out a long sigh as her face softened considerably. Not completely, she had faced far too many hardships for her face to ever soften completely aver again but seeing her brave Bell alive and well did bring quite a lot of life back to her wrinkled face.

"I believe you, child." Mary nodded her head causing salt and pepper hair, cut short, to bob slightly. "With how little is known about the Stray Dungeons, I have no doubt that something as you are saying could happen. But please tell me Bell, why did you run off to do something so dangerous, especially right after we lost your grandfather?"

"Because Auntie Mary," A wide, teary smile formed on the white-haired teen's face. "What better way to honor Grandpa than to go on an Adventure and delve into the Dungeon in his name!? Not only that, but I even managed to conquer the whole thing and found tons of treasure at the same time!"

"Right…" By the curve of her frown, the owner of the sole tavern in her and Bell's nameless village was having a hard time believing the young man before her. "And this great treasure, it wouldn't happen to be invisible would it?"

"What? No." Cocking his head slightly and staring at the woman with red eyes full of curiosity, Mary Clair noted, not for the first time, how her pseudo-adopted child somehow managed to remind her of an albino rabbit. "It took a while, but I managed to haul all the treasure to that cave behind the waterfall that you showed me and said to keep secret. Remember the one?"

Oh, Mary remembered the place. When she was still a young single mother of two, she had shown her children the cave so they could have a nice play area away from the village and so they would have a safe place to run in case the village was ever overrun by monsters or bandits. After news of their deaths had reached Mary's ears, she had avoided the cave like the plague, too many memories, until the adorable grandson of her neighbor had managed to wriggle his way into her heart. After she had taken on the responsibility of being Bell's motherly role model, Mary had taken the boy to her family's once special cave whenever she could squirrel away some of his time from his grandfather and she could get away from the tavern. In the off chance that Bell came back from the Stray Dungeon with anything, then it was the perfect place to hide things. Other than her and Bell, everyone else who had ever known of the cave was long dead, making it a perfect hiding spot.

"Of course, I remember silly." Bell's Auntie Mary smirked as she lightly flicked the boy's forehead, her smirk growing when Bell's hand leaped to his forehead and he pouted at her. "I was the one that showed you that place, not the other way around… now give your Aunty a hug, will you?"

With a wide smile, Bell darted towards the woman who helped raise him, wrapped his arms around her lithe frame, and buried his head into her shoulder. Despite Bell's recent growth spurt, Mary still stood nearly a head taller than the boy, forcing her to bend slightly so she could wrap her arms around the child.

"Tell me Bell," Mary whispered as she nuzzled her adopted son's hair with her cheek, now wet with tears. "Do you plan on leaving now? For Orario? To become an Adventurer and a Hero?"

"Yes Aunty." Mary could practically feel the heat rising from Bell's cheeks, and while she couldn't see them, she was sure that they were red from her mentioning his childhood dream. "I'm going to travel to the Dungeon City, find a god or goddess that will accept me into their Familia, and become a Hero like the ones in Grand-dad's stories! Just you wait, once I'm a big-shot Adventurer I'll be sure to send you a picture of me battling evil monsters in my Hero Armor!"

Pulling away slightly from the child, Mary chuckled weakly as she used her left hand to wipe her tears from her eyes while her right ruffled through her child's hair.

"I'll look forward to it, Sweetie Bell." Mary Clair laughed again at the look of mortification and embarrassment that overcame Bell's face at hearing her use her nickname for him. Then she smirked; "But what about the 'treasure you found in the Stray? Do you plan on just leaving it to rot in our cave?"

Despite Mary's obvious sarcasm, it flew right over the naïve boy's head, causing the woman to frown at the seriousness that Bell spoke with about the subject.

"No, I took what I think I'll need in the Dungeon City, I want you to use everything else, Aunty Mary. There is too much of it and a lot of the treasure is too heavy for me to carry to Orario, but I remember you telling me about how if you had some money you could improve the village. You could use the treasure to hire people to protect the village and build some walls around it and fix up all the houses that were damaged in the last storm."

_Whatever Bell had found in the Dungeon_, Mary decided_, he must really think it is worth something, especially for him to think that it could be used for the betterment of their home_. _I wonder what exactly he found?_

"Whatever you say, little man." Mary pushed the thoughts aside for the moment as she grabbed a large, tightly secured burlap sack and tossed it towards the young man who scrambled to catch the projectile. "Here, I had packed this for you after your grandfather passed, knowing you would want to head out on your journey. Inside there is enough food and water to get you to Orario safely, and a sleeping bag I made for you myself. Now get going my little Hero, your destiny awaits."

After securing the sack over his back, Bell gave his mother figure one more smiling but tearful hug, before dashing away from the village graveyard in the direction of one of the largest cities in the world, all while a trail of tears fell from his red eyes. The boy was beginning his journey towards the city of Orario, the home of the Great Dungeon, and the place where his fate called to him.

* * *

-Three Days Later-

The three days following Bell's departure from the village of his birth were extremely hectic for Mary Clair. The day after the boy left, the beginning of a rare but long stream of travelers passed through Mary's nameless little village, and as the only tavern/inn in the area, she had to deal with the bulk of the travelers.

Most of the outsiders were just regular merchants who had needed to change their trading routes due to a sudden bout of erratic movement on behalf of half a dozen Aberrant Dungeons, of note one of the traveling Dungeons had been reported to eat any human or demi-human who dared get within a hundred yards of the structure and not a soul had been reported to have escaped.

Yet still, a few of the visitors were abnormal. Of this type Mary counted no less than four god-graced Adventurers that had been in the area with the intention of delving into the Aberrant that her little Bell had said that he had completed, most of said Adventurers were rather depressed that their prey had up and vanished, and used their coin to drink away their sorrows. Also, amongst the abnormal visitors, Mary met two scholars actually from Scholoylon; the legendary school of higher learning created by a collaboration between all the various deus' of Knowledge, who were focusing their scholarly efforts on learning the secrets of the legendary Aberrant Dungeons. While they too were discouraged by the disappearance of the Dungeon that had appeared a few leagues away from the village, they were delighted to learn from the visiting merchants that a number of Traveling Dungeons had appeared in close proximity to the nearby major trade routes.

That was one of the things Mary enjoyed about her occupation, watching different people of different backgrounds and professions mingle, interact, and sometimes end up helping each other. Her smile grew even wider when the scholars offered to hire the Adventurers to protect them when they left to investigate these new Stray Dungeons, an offer that the three men and one woman cheerfully accepted.

However, just as there were visitors that brought smiles to Mary's weathered face, there were also visitors that filled her with unease, though Mary felt blessed that she only had to deal with two of these types. The first was just your run of the mill perpetual drunk who spat and cursed up a storm until one of the Adventurers did her the favor of throwing the man out of her bar onto his ass. The other one, however, he gave Mary the creeps.

Dressed in dark brown and white robes, wearing a black and yellow mask to hide the top of his face while a white cloth hid his mouth and a matching turban hide his hair, the man who introduced himself as Shezar made Mary's skin crawl. He asked a lot of questions about the Aberrant Dungeon that had been in the area, specifically questions about anyone who may have entered the structured and came back alive. Mary managed to feign ignorance and even convinced the rest of the village to not talk to the man about Bell, but by the time Shezar had left Mary had the dreaded feeling that he had gotten what he had come to here village to learn.

It was only after those three days of high volume business did Mary finally find some time to close her doors and hike through the nearby woods to the special place she had taken Bell whenever she could when he was a babe, and that she had shared with him after he had grown. Emerging from the dense underbrush, Mary beheld the waterfall that her mother had shown her as a child and the nearby path up said waterfall that her father had shown her after she grew old enough to be adventurous. Halfway up the trail that led to the fall's safe jumping spot, Mary abruptly turned off the trail and traveled on a much less tread footpath that lead her to a cave entrance behind the gallons of falling water, halfway between the pool below and the falls above. Inside she beheld a sight that stole her breath away.

Six huge burlap sacks, similar but much larger than the one the innkeeper had given to her pseudo-adopted son, stood resolute in the otherwise empty waterfall cave. Not even one of the sacks were fully closed because each one of them contained far too much of their precious cargo to be properly shut. As for the sack's contents, nearly spilling out of each bag were countless coins, tableware, and other objects all made out of or adorned with gold, silver, jewels, and other precious materials. By the gods, resting on top of one of the bags was a beautifully cut ruby the size of her head.

…

_Oh Bell, you wonderful child. What have you gotten yourself involved in? Please, stay safe._

* * *

On the well-worn path to Orario, Bell Cranel carefully inspected his, once his grandfather's, sword, looking specifically at the encircled eight-pointed star that was now carved into the blade above the hilt.

"So, Mr. Baal said that his power could help me become a hero and then his mark appeared on my sword… I just wish I knew how to begin using his power!" Bell smacked his face with his left hand and slowly dragged it down while glaring daggers at the weapon in his hand. "Agggghhhhh!"

"No need to get aggravated, my new master." A deep, familiar voice startled Bell into almost dropping his blade. "Woe there, Young Master. Settle yourself."

"Mr. Baal!" Bell cried out as he stared hard at his sword. "Are you here somewhere? Are you in my sword!? Oh my gosh, is it even comfortable being stuck in a sword? Are you comfortable Mr. Baal? Are you alright!?"

"Eh, what a strange master I have found myself…" Baal mused in an absent tone. "Master, please calm yourself. I am fine and your Metal Vessel is more than sufficient. I am speaking to you so that I may tell you about the powers you have gained, and will gain, as my King Vessel."

Immediately Bell's concerned face morphed into one of excitement, like a child who just entered a candy store. With bright eyes, he beheld his sword in amazement.

"Mr. Baal, you'll teach me? Thank you!" Bell exclaimed before his face turned pensive. "For some reason, I thought I would have to figure it out on my own."

"That is because you have good instincts, Young Master." Baal's voice took a lecturing tone. "Normally us Djinn directly impart the knowledge on how to use our Metal Vessels directly to our King Vessel's mind over a period of time that is determined by how long their internal Rukh takes to adapt to our Rukh. However, it seems that something has happened to mankind in the absence of us Djinn because I cannot seem to directly impart knowledge to you directly. Whether it is because of the descent of the deus' to this world and something they did, or something about your family, or I could be mistaken, and it is something that is unique to you, Young Master. Either way, I will need to teach you to use my Metal Vessel myself through your mind."

"Oh…" Bell scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry Mr. Baal for being such a handful, but I am grateful for the instruction and the company."

"Indeed… what a strange master I now have." Baal mused out loud, prompting Bell to pout at his sword. "Oh well. The first thing you need to know, Young Master, is that you need not keep staring at your sword to speak to me. As long as you are touching your sword, we will be able to communicate."

"Oh, that's good. I was afraid that people would think I was weird for talking to my sword."

"Well, they will look at you strangely for talking to yourself, because none but you will be able to hear me. However, you can rectify that by just thinking what you wish to say to me. Try it, just focus your thought to communicate with me."

"Ah, ok…" Bell closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in concentration. _Can you hear me, Mr. Baal?_

"Yes, good work my young master." For the first time since the boy had encountered the Djinn, Bell could hear something other than seriousness in Baal's tone; a subtle warmth of pride. "Now on the subject of things you need to understand, Young Master, just like how to speak to me you must be touching your sword, to use any of my power you must be connected to your Metal Vessel. Other than that, let us start with the most basic ability I have granted you by accepting you as my master; calling lightning down from the heavens to strike your enemies."

"What! Like magic! Like how god Zeus could throw lightning bolts before he descended to our world, like in Grandpa's stories!?" Bell exclaimed out loud before slapping his left hand over his mouth and glancing nervously, only to let out a sigh of relief when he realized that he was still traveling alone through the wilderness. _Sorry, Mr. Baal. I'll try to be more careful in the future._

"You are doing fine Master." Baal's voice the epitome of patience. "And you are correct, this is a form of magic, but from what I know of god Zeus he had to throw his lightning bolts, whereas I grant you the power to call nature's lightning to strike at your target. No throwing involved, that was always more of Barbatos' thing. Now before we start your going to need to learn about how to focus on your magoi, so please follow my instructions."

Smiling down at his weapon, Bell took a few steps off the path to Orario and stopped under the shade of a large oak. Then, after spreading his legs into a basic combat stance, he sent Baal a quick thought to say he was ready.

"Ok, until you get used to using your own magoi, I want you to hold my Metal Vessel with both hands then raise it in front of your head so that one of your eyes is looking into the magic sigil while your other looks beyond." Baal began slowly and waited until Bell had settled into the new stance before continuing. "Now Master Bell, you need to focus inward. Try and feel your soul, the concept within you that makes you 'Bell Cranel'. For most people when you find it, it will feel like a fluttering sensation in your whole body, like a flock of beautiful birds that are flying through your body. Focus, focus my young master and find the sensation of a million flapping wings within you."

With his eyes closed, Bell did as his Djinn instructed. He started with his skin; imagining that he could feel each twitch, stretch, and itch that affected the surface of his body. Then he focused on his muscles; pretending that he could feel each of the skinny wires of sinew that hid beneath his skin. Then he pretend he could feel his blood, every drop of it, as it flowed through his veins in tone with his beating heart. Then the boy focused deeper and deeper, and he _felt it_. Deep, deep, in the pit of his stomach Bell felt what could only be described as a fluttering sensation. A hundred birds flapped their wings and flew through his gut… no not just a hundred. There was another two hundred flying around his heart chirping a joyous song.

Bell gasped and his eyes flew open when he made a startling realization. The birds weren't just in his heart and stomach, they were everywhere! In his arms, his legs, if he focused, Bell could even feel then in his Head! There were so many of them, and wherever they were they made him feel warm! It was so much! It was too much! It was so-!

"Bell! Bell, come back to me!" Baal's voice interrupted the shock Bell was feeling and in a start the boy fell to the ground, flat on his ass.

"Owe…" Bell groaned as he rubbed his posterior.

"I'm glad you have made it back, my strange little master." Baal's tone, while sounding calmer than before, still sounded rather concerned. "_I never expected you to be one of the few who could be so easily captivated by your own soul._"

"What happened Mr. Baal?" Bell eyed his arm wearily, still feeling a slight tingling in the appendage… and the rest of his body. "Did I do it wrong?"

"No, Young Master." Baal answered immediately. "After you discovered your Rukh, it automatically began to roil spontaneously. Now that I have been able to see it react, I have to say that your Rukh is… strange. It is different than any other person's I've ever encountered, though at this point I couldn't begin to speculate why, or how it will affect you."

"Does that mean that I won't be able to use your powers!" Bell immediately began to freak out. "I still don't really know what it means to be your Metal Vessel user or your King Vessel, but I don't want to be one that disappoints or reflects badly on you! Especially if we meet others like me or other Djinn!"

"Worry not, my naïve master. No matter how strange your Rukh is, I am sure you'll be able to use my Metal Vessel." Baal's word immediately calmed Bell and chased away his rapidly approaching depression. "We will just have to be more careful in your training. Now, I want you to focus on your Rukh again, however this time only on the Rukh in your arms. Feel how it affects your body. Feel as the flutter causes your arms to tingle and feel warm. Then focus that warmth into my Metal Vessel. Try it now, I will know when you have succeeded."

Closing his eyes again, Bell focused lightly on the strange fluttering in his arms and then noticed how the sensation made his arms feel like he had just been bathing them in sun, only from the inside out instead of outwards in, and in this state, his sword felt weightless in his hands. For a moment Bell just focused on moving that sensation around his body; focusing on the fluttering in his chest and the following tingling heat made his heart beat faster and stronger, then moving it to his legs made them feel both tense and twitchy as if ready to sprint. Moving the feeling back to his arms, Bell then focused the energy through his arms and into his sword, which promptly absorbed the energy like a sponge. Following the revelation, Bell was compelled to open his eyes as a bright yellow light shone through his eyelids.

As he opened his eyes, Bell's sight beheld the eight-pointed star on his sword was now glowing a bright yellow, while in his head Bell heard Baal speak again.

"Now repeat after me; Metal Vessel: Bararaq!"

"**Metal Vessel: Bararaq!**"

From the sky a flash occurred, followed by a bolt of lightning that turned a patch of the gravel path to Orario pitch black, a small trail of smoke rising from the patch. Then, immediately following the lighting, the drum of thunder echoed through the world.

"Wow…" Bell stared down at his sword, eyes wide in amazement. "I can call down lightning bolts… THAT. IS. SO. COOL! **Metal Vessel: Bararaq!**" Another lightning bolt charred a patch of ground black, and, impossibly, Bell's smile grew even bigger.

"Awesome… Thank you Mr. Baal!" Bell's smile became less excited and softer. "I don't know if I'm worthy of such power, but I'll try to make you proud."

"I am sure you will, my excitable little master." Baal's tone temporarily softened, before becoming stern again. "Now you need to understand what exactly you are doing. That fluttering you are feeling when you focus is your Rukh, your soul, while the warm tingling sensation is your magoi. Magoi is the energy that your Rukh produces within you, and it is not an unlimited resource. Using too much of your magoi can leave you feeling fatigued, weak, and sluggish and, in the absolute worst cases, it can kill you. Do you understand, Young Master?"

"Yes, Mr. Baal." Bell nodded seriously as he eyed the symbol on his sword, the one that gave him great power but could also snuff out his life. "When I'm inside the Great Dungeon I'll have to be very careful with my magoi reserves."

"That brings me to the second matter we need to discuss before you continue training." For the first time since Bell had met the Djinn, Baal sounded sheepish of all things. "I have yet to see the Great Dungeon in person, but from how you speak of it can I assume that it is inside a structure similar to mine?"

"I haven't seen it myself yet, but Grandpa told me a lot of stories about it!" At the opportunity to speak of the stories told to him as a child, Bell's tone became giddy. "He told me about the Adventurer Achilles and how he battled the corrupt Ares Familia on the 27th Floor, leading to the war god and his Familia being exiled from the Dungeon City. He told me about Hercules and the many-headed Hydra he killed on the 50th floor or how he and the legendary Argonauts slew the Leviathan when it escaped the Great Dungeon. Grandpa told me how Odysseus slew the siren coven on the 25th Floor, and how Perseus fought the Gorgon Medusa on the 66th Floor, and about Theseus who was the first Adventurer to slay a minotaur."

"So, it is a tower similar to mine?" Baal questioned. "A large tower that Adventurers continuously climb up?"

"No, we climb down." Sensing confusion emanating from the Djinn, Bell continued. "Yes the Great Dungeon is located underneath the Tower of Babel, but the Dungeon itself leads deep into the earth and no one knows exactly how far down it goes."

"That is worse than I was expecting." Baal's sudden groaning surprised Bell. "Master, as you just saw, at your level of skill you can only call lightning from the sky. Such power will be of little use to you underground."

With wide eyes Bell looked up at the sky and then down towards the ground before smacking his face with his free hand. However, before he could respond the Djinn continued to speak.

"So, to work around that problem you'll just have to start working on your next lesson in controlling the power I have granted you: Djinn Weapon Equip." Baal's tone turned severe. "Let me first begin by telling you what your end goal is in regard to the power I have bestowed on you: The Full Body Djinn Equip. When a Metal Vessel user Djinn Equips their body's Rukh completely but temporarily takes on all the characteristics of the Djinn whose Metal Vessel they are using. If you manage to achieve this, you will temporarily be able to use my full power. The Djinn Weapon Equip, on the other hand, will manifest just the weapon of the Djinn whose Metal Vessel you are using. In your case, it will allow you to use my sword. My extremely powerful lighting controlling and firing sword."

_That sounds really cool, but also terrifying._ Bell eyed his sword cautiously. _I'll have to be very careful with such power, but I also should know how to use it, so I don't accidentally hurt someone. What do I do?_

"First, act as if you were going to use Bararaq but don't invoke the technique." Baal paused to wait for Bell to do as instructed. "Now focus more magoi into your sword. Doing so should-"

"By the gods! My sword, there is lightning crawling up it!" The sudden appearance of the element nearly caused Bell to drop his sword in fright, but he eventually recovered.

"Quite, as I was saying; it should generate electricity along the blade's edge via the sigil. Now keep forcing magoi into the sword until it feels like it cannot hold more." Baal gave Bell another moment to focus, during which beads of sweat began to trail down the white-haired boy's face. "Just a bit more… good, now you can stop giving your sword power. Instead, you need to focus on controlling the electricity the sword is producing; you need to force it to get denser instead of wilder, and then direct the dense electricity to condense around your sword and arms instead of allowing it to arc uncontrollably. Give it a try."

With a frown of concentration Bell focused on the lightning running up and down his sword and, after realizing that the sparks were still his magoi just… changed, tried to bring out more of the magical energy he had stored within the blade and add it to the electricity that was already visible. After a few minutes of fruitless struggling, the young man came to the realization that focusing the magoi in the sword into the eight-pointed star on the blade was the easiest and most efficient method of drawing out more arcs of electricity.

From his new home in the boy's soul, the Djinn Baal couldn't help but be slightly surprised by how easily his King Vessel managed to complete the first step in the training. The powerful spirit was not at all surprised however to see Bell having far more trouble in accomplishing the second step of the training.

Instead of controlling the countless arcs of electricity that now traveled up and down his sword, Bell was flinching whenever a wild bolt of electricity jumped from the Metal Vessel and scorched something around him black. Rocks, gravel, grass, and tree bark, nothing was safe from the wild lightning.

"That is enough my young master." Baal broke his silence when a stray bolt of electricity nearly burned off Bell's right shoe. "Get rid of the energy you have stored in the Metal Vessel by invoking the name of the technique I taught you please."

"**Metal Vessel: Bararaq!**"

As soon as the last syllable left Bell's lips a bolt of lightning at least five time the size of any he had called down previously heeded Bell's command and blasted a ten-foot hole into the path to Orario. However, right after the surge of excitement that accompanied calling down the wrath of nature faded, Bell nearly fell to his knees as a sudden wave of fatigue hit him.

"You did quite well for your first try, Master." Baal spoke again after Bell had begun to suck in air to catch his breath. "You have time, so I see no reason for you to force yourself to learn Djinn Weapon Equip right this moment. Instead, why don't you set up camp and prepare something to eat before the sun finishes falling behind the horizon. Later, if the weather changes as I anticipate, I'll teach you one more thing before you allow the world of dreams to take you for the night."

Looking up from his shaking legs, Bell's red eyes widened when he realized just how long he had been following his Djinn's instructions. When they had begun the sun had been beating upon his head from the center of the sky, almost exactly noon. Now, however, half the sun was hidden behind the distant horizon and the glow of its light was a darkening orange that already held shades of indigo-red. The sight made Bell's exhaustion feel even more pronounced, but despite it, he nodded his head to his Djinn's suggestion, sheathed his sword, and got to work preparing his tent, sleeping bag and something to eat.

It was nearly an hour later after the aspiring Adventurer had eaten some of the traveling rations that his mother figure had packed for him and rested whilst watching the fading sunset, Bell's slowly dipping head had shot to alert when a far off boom echoed through the wilderness. Then, from the heavens, the smallest sprinkle of rain began to fall, followed by a sudden deluge of rain that instantly snuffed the life from Bell's dying fire. Bell was only spared being soaked to the bone because of his hasty retreated to his tent.

"Perfect." Baal's voice distracted Bell from the storm outside his tent. "With weather conditions like this, it will be simple imparting this next bit of knowledge on you."

_Um… Mr. Baal, are you talking about the storm? How does rain help me train?_

"No, Young Master, not the rain." Baal corrected this King Vessel instantly. "What can help you is the storm's lightning."

Sensing Bell's bamboozled expression, Baal continued his explanation. "As a Djinn that specializes in lighting magic, I don't only grant you the power to harm others with the element, but by using my Metal Vessel you can absorb electricity from other sources and use the energy to refill your magoi supply. Also, as the strongest lightning aligned Djinn, all you have to do to absorb the lightning in a storm like this is to raise my Metal Vessel, your sword, into the air. I would, however, suggest you do so outside your tent, we wouldn't want you to destroy your shelter."

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat at the thought of calling the wrath of the sky down at himself, Bell stepped out of his shelter and put a few feet between himself and it before raising his unsheathe sword into the air. With another sudden, but much louder 'BOOM!' a giant streak of lightning fell from the sky, racing straight at the white-haired boy. Despite the terror Bell felt at the moment the thunder sounded he refused to close his eyes in fear, the shame he felt for his fearful actions during his Djinn Weapon Equip training feeding a flame of angry courage in his gut, and because he kept his eye open he was able to witness the lightning impacting, and disappearing into, the eight-pointed star on his sword.

In that instant after absorbing the lightning, the rain temporarily stopped falling onto and around Bell, all the wetness that had soaked the bot instantly dried up, and Bell Cranel felt more powerful than ever. The fluttering of his soul, that had been sluggish from exhaustion, was now so energetic that Bell felt as if the flapping of the countless birds was making him weightless, while the tingling of his magoi actually felt painful as it raced through his body.

"Now Master, use the power you just absorbed as fuel. You already know how."

"**Metal Vessel: BARARAQ!**"

The fatigue that stuck Bell after launching his spell far surpassed what he had been feeling earlier, but, in Bell's opinion, the price was undoubtedly worth the spectacle he had invoked. A shockwave producing strike of lightning that dwarfed anything the boy had ever seen. It shot from the sky, hit a tree ten time's Bell's size, and instead of setting it on fire, the surge of lightning turned the tree into dust and ash.

Despite the fact Bell had to force his body to keep standing, all the boy could focus on was the pile of dust and ashes with wide eyes, even as the rain that had been displaced by Bell absorbing the storm's lightning resumed falling onto the white-haired boy. It was only with Baal's prompting was Bell able to claw his attention away from the destruction he had caused.

"That is enough for today, Young Master. You should get some rest, after all, we still have quite some distance to travel to reach Orario and there will be plenty of time during the trip for you to practice with your new abilities."

Nodding his head tiredly in acceptance, Bell stumbled back to his tent and absently dried himself off with a small rag before falling onto his sleeping bag. The young man's head had barely even hit his pillow when unconsciousness began clawing at his sight. Just before sleep claimed him, he managed to force out a few words.

"Mr. Baal, thank you for the training. With your help, I'll get in a Familia for sure."

"You are welcome, my young master. I am sure you will find the Familia you are meant to be with if you just follow the Rukh. It will never lead you astray."

For the rest of Bell's time following the path to Orario, he trained with his new powers in addition to putting league after league behind him. He would walk throughout the day, taking short breaks periodically to practice calling on the wrath of the sky before continuing his trek, until sunset would cast vast shadows over the gravel path. Then, after setting up camp, Bell would practice the steps to Djinn Weapon Equip, though each time the end result was the same as the first time he had tried, or he would continue practicing with Bararaq, or he would follow some of Baal's other training methods until he felt like passing out. For nearly a month Bell's life was just a pattern of traveling and training, until, finally, the great walls of one of the largest cities in the world appeared on the horizon.

The walls of Orario, over thirty feet of some of the sturdiest stone Bell had ever seen, cast a vast shadow over the white-haired aspiring Adventurer as he approached the Dungeon City. The North Gate of the city, one of the four that allowed entrance to the four cardinal directions, was already open as Bell advanced and as he passed through, he also noticed how the gate was also protected by a series of portcullis'.

Within the city walls the sight of one long paved street, lined with countless brick shops and houses, leading to the looming Tower of Babel, and by extension, the Great Dungeon stole Bell's breath away. The largest center of civilization was unlike anything the country-raised boy had ever experienced, and as he walked down Orario's streets Bell also marveled at just how many people he passed on the streets and how different they all were.

People with cat ears and people with dog ears chatted with man and women with sharp claws and wolf-like eyes, while men Bell's height but possessing full beards and fully-grown physique growled as they pushed past those taller than them. Then on his second examination of the crowd, Bell even noticed that some of the people he had originally thought to be human actually had pointed ears!

_Wow! Grandpa told me that different races lived in Orario but I had no idea that there were so many of them!_

"Um, Master?" Bell, who was unknowingly grasping the hilt of his sword with his off hand, widened his eyes when Baal interrupted his thoughts. "Don't you have something more important to start doing, instead of gawking?"

"Your right Mr. Baal!" Bell smacked his cheeks lightly to refocus himself. "It's time to go impress a super cool deus with how awesome I am to get entrance into their Familia!"


	3. Chapter 3: Familia Part 1

Chapter 3: Familia Part 1

_AN: Sorry for the wait. Enjoy._

"Sorry kid, you have to be at least this high to be allowed in the Hermes Familia."

* * *

"Get lost shrimp, there's no way you're experienced enough for the Ikelos Familia to take notice of you."

* * *

"I apologize, but the Ganesha Familia is not looking for new members at this time. We are too preoccupied with preparations for Monsterpaloza."

* * *

You're definitely not strong enough for the Tyr Familia."

* * *

"I'm sorry young man, but the Miach Familia has its hands full at the moment."

* * *

"You? In the Loki Familia? Ha! Good joke, now get lost."

* * *

"Please!" Bell pounded on the wooden double-doors of the Thor Familia Headquarters, a large mead house carved from the finest timber, his face wreaked by desperation and despair. "Let me speak to Lord Thor, please! I'm perfect for his Familia, I even know a spell that lets me summon lightning!"

"Ya right, like a scrawny kid like you knows magic like that." A deep voice, colored by annoyance and age, barked from the other side of the wooden door. "Just take your made-up stories and get lost!"

"Damn it!" Bell cried out as he hit the door one last time, after which he stomped away from the Thor Familia HQ towards the Guild building. "Stupid, arrogant Familia. I'll show them, I'll show them all! They'll regret not letting me join!"

"Um, Master?"

"Just you wait Mr. Baal, once they see me use the power you gave me, they'll beg for me to join their ranks!"

"Hello, Master?"

"I bet none of the Loki Familia Adventurers could use a spell as powerful as Bararaq when they were Level 0!"

"Master!?"

"And I bet Bararaq is more powerful than any of the Thor Familia's lightning spells!"

"Bell! Pay attention to your surroundings!"

"What?" Bell's gaze snapped from the paved road beneath his feet to take in his surroundings. His crimson eyes widening when he beheld a stream of Rukh disappearing through a small alley headed north. "Wait, didn't you tell me to follow the Rukh, Mr. Baal?"

"It will always lead you towards your Fate, my young master. Whether you accept that Fate or reject it will be up solely to you."

Without another word, Bell took off in a sprint to follow the flow of spiritual white birds through the alleyway then up and down the various streets of Orario until the flock ended in the middle of a street that Bell was unfamiliar with but was much closer to Babel Tower. The Street was lined with small specialty shops ranging from designer clothing to baked goods to an exotic bookstore. More importantly to Bell, however, the street was nearly bare, with only a few souls hurrying about the area and not even one of them looked like a god or goddess to the young man.

"The Rukh lead me here, but what am I supposed to find?" Bell glared at the emptying street again, tears of frustration beginning to form beneath his crimson eyes and his left-hand tightening around the hilt of his sword, unknowingly filling it with magoi. "Damn it, I just want to be and Adventurer! A Hero! To be a part of a Familia that cares about me, and fight for a god that will be proud of my efforts! Is that too much to ask?! Am I cursed to never find a deity that will accept me?! Is that my cursed Fate?!"

Within his Metal Vessel, Baal's draconic face frowned slightly as he felt the Rukh within his King Vessel get kicked into a flurry of activity and as a small number of the white birds were stained black. As more and more white birds turned black, the Djinn prepared himself to intervene on his master's behalf, to save Bell from allowing himself to Fall before he could even understand the consequences of doing so, when suddenly a new voice cut through Bell's growing depravity and did Baal's job for him. With his frown flipped into a small grin, the Djinn sat back to enjoy the show.

"Young man, I may not be a god, but would you accept a goddess as your patron deity?" The voice of the goddess speaking was a dainty thing, sounding young and light as if spoken by a young girl just entering the cusp of puberty but also held the depths of age and weight of wisdom. "I am the goddess Hestia and, if you desire it, I will grant you the grace of my Falna so that you may become a part of my Familia."

Wiping his wet cheeks, Bell turned around to gaze upon the person who claimed to be a deus willing to accept him into her Familia. Upon doing so, Bell's still dripping red eyes widened as he gazed upon the beautiful visage of someone who could only have hailed from the heavens. Despite being shorter than Bell, goddess Hestia had the physique of a woman in the prime of her life. Shapely hips, a bountiful bosom, an hourglass figure, beautiful black hair, and unblemished skin, goddess Hestia had all of these characteristics and more.

As for clothing, the goddess wore a white one-piece dress with a low-cut neckline that showed off her impressive bust and cleavage, and on her dainty hands she wore a pair of gloves that matched the color of her dress. Around her neck, Hestia, instead of a necklace, wore a bow of blue ribbon that was the twin to the string of blue ribbon that traveled from her back, around her arms, and under her breasts. The goddess' black hair was done up in two twin-tails and secured by a pair of blue and white hair clips, the blue of which perfectly matched her wide blue eyes.

For Bell, who was just moments away from cursing his Fate and the World, the appearance of the goddess was something akin to a miracle.

"You'll accept me into your Familia, Lady goddess?" Bell fell to his knees before the heavenly being, a teary smile on his face.

"Of course, young man." Hestia gave Bell a wide smile that quickly turned sheepish. "However, there is only one small problem I should tell you before you accept my Falna… If you join my Familia, you will be the very first member of my Familia, no one I've asked before you has ever agreed to be the first of the Hestia Familia. You will have no one to help you learn how to be an Adventurer or to explore the Great Dungeon with. Knowing this, do you still wish to accept this goddess as your patron deity?"

"Yes, goddess Hestia!" Bell didn't hesitate to consider the offer. "Please let me join your Familia! I'll do everything I can to prove myself worthy to you!"

"Oh, young man, you don't need to prove yourself to me." Hestia reached down to clasp Bell's left hand with her right. "In fact, I feel that I will have to prove myself a proper goddess to you. As a part of my Familia, I'm afraid we'll have to work twice as hard just to get by."

"I'll accept the responsibility, Lady Hestia. Please let me join your Familia."

"Thank you very much, young man." To Bell, Hestia's smile was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. "Then follow me, I know of a place where I can bestow my blessing on you without interruption. Also, would you please tell me your name?"

"My name is Bell Cranel, my goddess." Bell answered the short deity as he followed behind her.

Hestia lead the two of them to a small bookstore, the owner of which, once he saw who had entered, just nodded for the diminutive goddess to continue. At the back of the shop, Bell found himself alone with his soon-to-be goddess in the small building's study.

"Bell, please take off your shirt and lie down here." Hestia instructed the boy after she had laid out a large sheet on the study floor. "To bestow my blessing on you, I need to be able to access your back."

Without thinking, Bell slipped his sweaty stained shirt off, revealing to the goddess his body of wiry muscles and that his chest was covered in small scars. However, as the boy laid down on the sheet, chest down so his back was easy to reach, the goddess of the hearth stored the knowledge of the scars away for later.

"Long ago, we the gods descended into the world of our children; the Mortals, like you Humans. In hopes of finding excitement and inspiration." Bell was listening intently to Hestia's impromptu lesson when he felt a drop of something small and very hot-but-cold fall onto his back. The boy then gasped as a sudden warmth seemed to seep into his being, a feeling similar but different to manipulating his own magoi, and that made the Rukh within him flutter in a joyous manner. "And so we decided, we would reside here in the lower world for the rest of eternity, sealing away our divine powers and live a modest life surrounded by the discomforts of mortal inconvenience. The only thing we can offer in our earthly state is the Blessing of our Falna, the power to fight and defeat monsters. The children who receive this gift become Familia or a direct relation to the gods. Which means you are now my family, the only member of the Hestia Familia! Welcome, my first child!"

…

…

…

"Wait," Hestia, seated upon Bell's back, looked down at her first child's stats baffled. "What the heck is wrong with your stats?!"

_Bell Cranel Level: 1_

_Power: 575 D_

_Endurance: 358 F_

_Dexterity: 499 E_

_Agility: 625 C_

_Magic: 267 G_

_Spells: Bararaq_

_Developmental Abilities: -_

_Skills: Dungeon Capturer, King Vessel, Transparent Rukh_

After reading his stats, a huge smile grew on Bell's face as childish excitement shone through his crimson orbs.

"Yes! I knew that my time in Baal's Dungeon would give me higher stats after I got a deus' blessing! Take that Familia who were too dumb to accept me, Bell Cranel will show All of you up!"

"Bell!" Goddess Hestia had her hands on her hips as she stared intently at her first child. "How do you have such high stats? Were you in a Familia before mine? Am I your second?!"

"No goddess, that's not it, I promise!" Bell waved his hands in front of his face frantically in response to the accusation. "Please let me explain!"

"Fine Bell, explain." Hestia took a seat on the on the study's only chair crossing her arms under her bust and one leg over the other, and stared intently at the first member of her Familia.

"I've been in a Dungeon before, not the Great Dungeon, but one of the Aberrant Dungeons that travel the world. I spent three months in the place and during that time I killed a lot of monsters. I think all that extra excelia is the reason my stats are so high."

"Wait, wait, wait." Hestia looked completely taken back, her blue eyes wide in surprise while she rubbed her temples as she tried to take in what she was hearing. "Let's ignore the fact that mortals can't retain excelia without a deus' Falna, so any monsters you fight before being blessed shouldn't help with your stats. Are you saying that you entered a Traveling Dungeon at Level 0 and came out alive?"

"No." Bell's young face turned serious as he palmed his Metal Vessel. "I entered a Traveling Dungeon and conquered it. My reward for doing so was being granted the allegiance of a super strong and awesome Djinn who lets me use his power."

"A Djinn?! But those are myths! They don't exist!" Hestia looked genuinely freaked out. "Do they? They would be even older than the deus' decent if they did."

Bell was about to respond to his goddess when Baal's voice spoke over their connection.

"Bell, with your permission I would like to try something to convince your goddess of your story. For a brief moment would you allow me to take control of your body?"

_You Djinn can do that?!_ Bell's eyes went, worrying a waiting Hestia.

"Only with our King Vessel's permission and only temporarily. Doing so is the only way we can interact with the outside world without a Magi present."

_What's a Magi?_

"Concentrate Master." Baal chastised the boy lightly. "I'll teach you about them later, until then one thing at a time. Do I have your permission?"

_…ok._ Bell relented after a short hesitation. The thought of losing control of his body, even for a moment, terrifying him more then he was willing to admit.

To the goddess Hestia's eyes, her child had stopped speaking to her after she questioned him only for his eyes to widen in surprise and then his whole body began to shake uncontrollably while she panicked on how to help him. Then, after he stopped shaking, the consciousness that beheld her through Bell's eyes were no longer the child that had accepted being the first member of her Familia. The boy's red eyes, that had been shimmering with youthful energy and innocence, now gleamed with age and ancient wisdom. Bell's mouth and face, which had been extremely expressive before, now was set in a passive façade that gave nothing away, and the boy's body, which had been coiled like a spring since Hestia had met him, was now completely relaxed.

"**Greetings goddess Hestia.**" This new person wearing the skin of her precious first child spoke in a deep baritone that sounded utterly wrong to hear coming from such a young man. "**I am Baal, the Djinn of Wrath and Heroes, and the Djinn who accepted your first Familia member as my King Vessel. I have, with my master's permission, temporarily possessed his body to corroborate his story to you. Almost three and a half months ago Bell Cranel entered, my Dungeon, slew countless monsters, and succeeded in reaching my treasure room. By doing so he conquered my Dungeon and earned my allegiance. As my Bell's Djinn, I have granted him the potential to wield great power that will assist him in his endeavors as an Adventurer and as a King.**"

"Wait! What do you mean by King and King Vessel?!" Hestia questioned the Djinn controlling the body of her child. "Is Bell the son of some sort of foreign King, or the descendant of some ancient bloodline?"

"**No, Lady goddess.**" Baal answered quickly. "**One needs not to be a descendant of an ancient bloodline or be related to any form of royalty to be a King Vessel. A King Vessel is just that, a vessel chosen by a Djinn who believes that the person in question has the necessary requirements to be a great King. When Bell challenged my Dungeon, I witnessed in him the capacity to be a King, especially through his tenacity and unwillingness to give up. While my last King Vessel may have had more natural talent than Bell, I believe that my current master has even more determination than even him.**"

"So, Bell impressed you and now you grant him power?"

"**That is indeed so. My time is up goddess Hestia, I have little doubt that we will speak again, but for now we must part ways.**"

Then once again before Hestia's eyes, Bell changed again. Ancient red eyes closed and reopened as blood red orbs sparkling with youth, his lax body filled with tense energy, and emotions could once again be easily read on Bell's young face. The emotion the goddess primarily saw as Bell retook control of his body; confusion.

"Oh, dear goddess. That felt weird."

"Bell!" Hestia gently used her gloved right hand to lift the boy in question's head to look him in the eyes. "Are you feeling ok after letting… Baal… take control of your body?"

After a short period of silence, Bell answered the goddess by nodding his head, his crimson eyes never looking away from her azure orbs.

"Ok then. Let us head to where I've been staying. It's no Familia Headquarters, but it is my home here in the lower world, and now it will be your home as well. Once we are there, I would like you to tell me all about yourself and your time in Baal's Dungeon. But first please tell me, why do you want to be an Adventurer so much?"

A shy smile formed on Bell's lips as his cheeks reddened.

"Well, I want to be a Hero, like the ones Grandpa told me stories about as a kid."

-Half a Month Later-

-Great Dungeon: Floor 5-

_Oh, come on! Why is there a minotaur on the 5__th__ Floor?! What idiot chased it down here but didn't kill it?!_

Let it be known that Bell Cranel was not happy to be meeting a mid-floor enemy on the upper floors. While the white-haired Adventurer may have scouted the beginning of the 13th Floor, he was in no way, shape, or form prepared to tackle the Middle Floors without using some abilities he would rather keep in reserve. He especially did not want to fight one of the 'newbie-killers' of the Middle Floors so soon, but if he ran from the monster it would either just follow him or attack other, less powerful and prepared Level 1 Adventurers.

And Bell refused to inadvertently be the reason someone else died. That's not the sort of thing a Hero would do.

After ducking out of the way of a swipe from the horned monster's meaty right hand, Bell tossed his Guild provided knife to his left hand while his right fell to his hip and drew his heirloom sword, and Baal's Metal Vessel, from its scabbard.

_Well, Mr. Baal, I think it is time to try out __that__ attack for real._ Bell's message moved at the speed of thought to the powerful entity that had bestowed his power upon the boy.

"While that does seem prudent, my master." Baal's voice, ever calm even in the circumstance of watching his King Vessel face a minotaur, was as calm and stoic as ever. "Just remember that you will not be able to use it again until you return to the surface."

_None of my attacks are getting through its muscles and hide, so I'm going to have to take that chance._

Slowly retreating from the bull-like monster while dodging the beast's meaty hand and jabs from its horns, Bell bided his time for the opportunity to finish the beast in one strike.

That chance came when the minotaur tried to impale Bell with its horns only to stab the earthen wall of the Dungeon behind the boy when her ducked underneath the monsters attack.

_Now!_

Quick as a snake, Bell's right hand, wielding his Metal Vessel, stabbed towards the minotaur's muscled neck as the white-haired boy cried out the words of his new spell.

"**Bararaq Idrab!**"

At that moment three things happened. First; the minotaur split nearly in half from the meat of its shoulder to its hip. Second; Bell's sword just missed the monster's neck, as the blow that split the beast had held enough momentum to force the two halves to separate violently, and released a blinding surge of electricity that shot between the two halves of the minotaur and impacted with the Great Dungeon's roof. And third; nearly a litter of the monster's blood violently splashed and soaked the front of Bell, including his snow-white hair.

Now covered in the stinking blood and gore of a 300-pound minotaur, Bell looked through the cut in the dying monster and gawked as his gaze fell upon one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She had long and straight blonde hair, eyes a shade of yellow that could easily be mistaken as gold, and porcelain skin devoid of any blemishes. The beauty wore formfitting armor over a pure white tunic with blue trimmings, both of which nicely accented her lithe frame, moderate bust size, and hourglass figure.

"Are you ok?" And the girl's voice held an ensured sense of purpose and innate power, very similar to the voice of the entity that had sworn its allegiance to Bell.

"Y-Yes." Bell managed to choke some words out of his rebellious mouth. Internally Bell was glad that he was covered in minotaur blood, it did a good job at hiding his rapidly reddening face. He had already been helped by this beauty; he didn't want to embarrass himself more by letting her see his blushing face. "Thank you for the help but was just about to kill the minotaur myself."

"I believe you." The blonde beauty quickly looked between Bell and the scorched impact crater his magic had done to the roof. "I apologize for allowing the minotaur to reach you and for stealing your kill at the last minute. You may keep the magic stone if you wish?"

"No! Ah, I mean that is not necessary." Bell waved off the girl's offer after sheathing his sword with one hand while the other rubbed the back of his head, smearing more of the monster blood on the part of his hair that was still white. "I'm just returning from the 13th Floor and I have more than enough magic stones to trade for a good day's take. Please take it, it was your prey, to begin with after all."

"If you insist." The swordswoman sheathed her thin blade and pocketed the stone with a small smile. "I am Ais Wallenstein of the Loki Familia. It's nice to meet you."

Ais held out her right and was not bothered in the slightest when Bell's blood-drenched hand shook hers.

"I'm Bell Cranel of the Hestia Familia. It is nice to meet you Ms. Wallenstein."

"It's Ais, not Ms. Wallenstein." The swordswomen corrected Bell immediately as she turned on her heel and began to make her way back the way she had come. "I'm sorry, but I have to return to the rest of my party. I hope we meet again Bell."

"Me too Ms. Ais!" Bell called back towards the blonde. "Let's meet again one day!"

When the Loki Familia member made to turn a corner and glanced back the blood-covered boy was already beginning his jog towards the surface.

"Hmmm… Bell Cranel."

Unfortunately for the only member of the Hestia Familia, Ais Wallenstein was not the only member of the Loki Familia to see his retreat from the Great Dungeon. Within a pair of wolfish orange eyes mirth and condescension bore into the back of the Level 1 Adventurer.

Down the length of Guild Street, a large causeway that stretched from Orario's northwestern wall to Babel Tower, the residents of the Dungeon City went about their daily lives as normal. Stall vendors peddled their goods to any passersby that drew close, said passersby investigated or ignored the vendors based on their needs, Adventurers returning from the Dungeon either celebrated a profitable day in the hostile environment or grumbled about a day of meager earnings, and, at a wide intersection, the building the street was named for sat stoically, waiting for Adventurers to come and feed its voracious appetite for magic stones.

Yes, all was normal on Guild Street… until a boy wearing basic adventuring armor and who's front, head to toe and hair included, was covered in blood came jogging down the street towards the Guild Building with a wide smile on his face. All around the street men and women double-took at the sight of a boy covered in blood, some reacting with revulsion when they realized what covered the boy while the rest just shook their heads and rubbed their eyes in amazement.

"Miss Eina!" Bell waved as he called out towards a dark brown-haired woman with sharp-tipped ears just about to enter the Guild Building with an armful of documents. "Miss Eina!"

Eina Tulle smiled softly at the sound of her favorite energetic Adventurer. Her green eyes brightened noticeably underneath her frameless glasses and out of the corner of her eye she saw her pink-haired friend and co-worker Misha Flott mimic rabbit ears with her index fingers, causing the dark-haired guildswoman to roll her eyes. With one hand the Guild worker smothered the wrinkles of her suit and straightened her tie and then turned around to look at the Adventurer she was the advisor of… and promptly dropped her documents and screamed when she saw Bell Cranel red as a tomato because he was covered in blood.

"Bell?!"

"Miss Eina!" Bell waved at his advisor. "Can you please tell me about Miss Ais Wallenstein please?"

One quick shower in the Guild's facilities later, Bell and Eina were sitting across from each other with a low couch table separating them. The woman was frowning with a furious look in her eyes and the boy looking sheepish as he swung his legs that dangled from the Guild building's couch.

"You did WHAT?!" Bell's advisor slammed her palms onto the table that separated them, leaning until she was inches away from her Adventurer. "The 13th Floor?! Bell how could you be so reckless? I understand that you have very impressive stats for a Level 1 but going down to the 13th Floor by yourself was incredibly foolish! Just going into the Dungeon by yourself without a party is dangerous! I keep telling you that Adventures don't go looking for adventures!"

"I know. I'm sorry." Bell muttered while looking at the floor. "But none of the monsters I've faced at the Top Floors are as the ones I've faced before coming to Orario. Also, the stones they drop don't trade for much, and my goddess and I are saving up to look for a new place to live without using too much of the money I brought from home."

"Hump…" Eina leaned back in her seat and finally relented, smiling at the white-haired boy for the first time since he had returned to the surface. "Bell, don't you understand how lucky you are? You're a Level 1 Adventurer, with admittedly impressive stats, who less than a month ago hadn't even set foot in the Dungeon yet you escaped a run in with a minotaur!"

Eyes closed, Bell solemnly accepted his advisor's scolding until, without him noticing, Eina leaned towards him again and lightly flicked his nose with her right hand. Startled, Bell's red orbs flew open to see a genuine smile on his attractive advisor's heart-shaped face, a sight that made a light blush dust the boy's cheeks.

"Anyway… I'm happy that you're safe but please be more comfortable in the future, and no more running through town covered in blood."

"Right!" Bell chirped with a wide smile that was followed by him rubbing his legs together and him squirming in his seat. "Listen, do you know anything about Miss Ais, or what?"

Momentary took back by the question, the guildswoman almost cupped her chin in thought before a wide, amused smile formed on her lips.

"Miss Ais… you mean Lady Wallenstein? The woman who had to swoop in and rescue you?"

"No!... Well, ya, but she didn't need to!" Bell stumbled over his words as Eina's smile grew.

"Oh! So, you've fallen for her?!" Eina questioned with a jackal-like smile.

"Maybe…" Bell muttered, his red face again looking towards the floor.

"Ais Wallenstein…" Eina raised her right hand to her chin as she concentrated. "A Level 5 member of the Loki Familia. Probably the best or second-best sword user in town, the gods have awarded her the title of Sword Princess of Orario. Not bad."

"Even I know that much." Bell murmured. "I'd rather hear about the personal stuff; like what she likes to eat? Or is she has a…"

"Aww, you're asking if she has a partner, aren't you?" Eina easily guessed what her advisee trailed off at.

"Ya, does she?!" Bell nearly lurched out of his seat in anticipation.

"I don't think I've ever heard anything like that…"

"Thank the gods." For a moment the only member of the Hestia Familia's eyes glowed in relief and hope…

"But, coming from a realistic standpoint, your chances are slim-to-none." Only for that relief and hope to go down in smoke at the follow-up words of his advisor.

"Remember that you're a member of the Hestia Familia." Eina lectured Bell as they walked towards the Guild exchange area after the Adventurer had reequipped his Guild procured armor. "So, there would be all sorts of problems with you trying to approach such a high-level member of the Loki Familia. Understand?"

The guildswoman smiled gently when Bell looked at her glumly.

"Oh, don't look so upset. Why don't you cash in your magic stones? That will help you feel a little better."

"Ok…" Bell sighed as he dropped a brown bag overflowing with dark, multi-colored stones into an open drawer that promptly closed. When it opened again a bag of golden coins had replaced the bag of stones.

"120,000 valis." A bored voice accompanied the bag of gold. "Have a nice day."

"Thank you." Bell smiled dryly at his advisor as he made his way towards the Guild's entrance.

"Bell." Eina's tone was supporting and comforting. "You know, it is a well-known fact that women are attracted to the type of men that are strong and dependable. Maybe, if you work really hard and don't give up, a stronger version of you might impress Lady Wallenstein one day."

"Ya!" Bell's white teeth flashed a wide smile. "Thanks, Miss Eina! I love you!"

With that said, the white-haired Adventurer jogged out of the Guild's Headquarters unaware of the chaos his statement stirred up in the building's workers.

"Aww, that's sweet." A dwarf that Eina worked with, who had a rather large beard, commented after Bell left, his voice and comment contrasting the high-pitched whistle from Eina's friend Misha let loose. The young man also missed the wild blush that overtook his elven advisor's face because of his words.

"Goddess! Oh, goddess Hestia! I'm Home!" Bell called out into a dark, downwards spiraling secret passageway that be accessed from a hidden door camouflaged in one of the support pillars of an old, rundown church. "Goddess, you'll never guess wha-!"

Bell's sentence was interrupted by a short, dark-haired, and white-clad missile known as the goddess Hestia. The petite deus had launcher herself at her only child with a gleaming smile and shining blue eyes, from her lips came a joyous cry.

"Bell!" Wrapping her arms around her only Familia member, Hestia dragged her child into a deep hug, a hug that brought a flush to the pale teen's face when he felt his deity's luscious mounds press up against him. "Welcome back my sweet Bell."

"Goddess Hestia! St-stop! This is indecent!" Stuck between trying to escape the indecent contact (in Bell's mind) with his deus without hurting her and, in the 'darker' half of Bell's mind that the boy liked to forget existed, enjoy the close contact with his beautiful goddess, Bell froze and waited for the goddess hugging him to stop.

"Poo, Bell you're no fun." Hestia pouted at the boy she had blessed before relenting and releasing the frozen boy. "So, how was your time in the Dungeon today?"

"Well…" Bell looked away from his deus' blue gaze and scratched his cheek, a reaction that filled the petite goddess with dread.

"WHAT!" Goddess Hestia's blue eyes had gone completely wide as she stared at her child in shock. "Bell, you survived an encounter with a minotaur!"

"I didn't just survive goddess." Bell pouted at his deus this time. "I would have killed it with Baal's help is Miss Ais hadn't killed it so fast."

…

"Miss Ais?" Hestia questioned after taking a moment to collect herself. The deus didn't doubt the validity of Bell's claim, she had known that she had given her blessing to an incredibly strong mortal, but for him to already have scouted the 13th Floor and being so close to slaying the most feared monster of the Middle Floors, Hestia felt bad that such a promising mortal Adventurer had to put up with such a useless goddess like herself. Silently she resolved herself to go through with the plan she had been concocting to somehow help her child in his endeavors.

"Ah, Miss Ais Wallenstein. She's a Level 5 Adventurer of the Loki Familia." Bell answered with a shy smile and reddening cheeks.

"And she is the woman who killed the minotaur?" Hestia frowned at Bell's blush, already deciding that she didn't like this woman. Her dislike only grew when, instead of answering, Bell just nodded his head while blushing harder.

"Whatever." Hestia grumbled in response. "Just come lay on the bed, we're going to update your stats. Did you go practice your magic after leaving the Dungeon again today?"

With a grin and a nod, Bell did as his goddess commanded. He removed his leather coat and iron breastplate and then peeled his black iron-treaded undershirt from his sweaty body. Once his upper body, toned from months of battling dangerous monsters and lean from having to scavenge food from said monsters, was bare to the world, the white-haired teen clambered onto Hestia's queen-sized bed, the one she continued to offer to share with him but he always refused with a deep blush and stammering sentences. Afterward, the boy felt the mattress shift as the goddess followed him onto the ratty brown furniture, and the boy only let out a soft exhale as Hestia sat down onto the small of his back, her legs spread so that they were braced on the mattress on both sides of his person. Without looking up from the pillow he had buried his face into, Bell knew that his goddess was going through the process of picking her pointer finger with a small needle. Then the boy grit his teeth to avoid gasping in shock when a single drop of Hestia's blood splashed on his bare, tattooed back.

The first time Bell had experienced this ritual, when Hestia had first given him her blessing and made him into the first of her Familia, he had been unable to hold in the gasp that the drop of her hot-cold blood drew from his lips, and every time he had done it during the rituals that followed after the first Hestia had been merciless in her teasing about how cute she thought it was. Now, however, after more than a dozen of status updates, Bell was somewhat used to the feeling and, with proper mental preparation, he could avoid letting out the sound that his deus enjoyed teasing him about, much to her annoyance.

Following the hot-cold of the deus blood, Bell continued to bury his head into the mud-brown pillow to avoid giggling the entire time his goddess traced over this back and over his floating, glowing, and updating stats (oddly enough both sensations felt the same to the boy). Like always, the updating process took around an hour, during which the young Adventurer's eyelids shut over time and he nearly drifted off to sleep.

"There you go Bell." Hestia broke the silence of the room with her soft voice, at the same time Bell felt the deus' soft hands gently pat his back. "I think you'll be very happy with your growth; I know you have impressed me."

As she spoke, Bell felt the goddess softly place a sheet of rough paper onto his back, over what he knew was his Blessing Tattoo that showed his stats, and gently trace a circle on the brown parchment. Only after the petite woman had peeled the paper from his back, did she get off him and allowed the snowy-haired King Vessel to shift into a sitting position on the bed, where he accepted the sheet of brown parchment from his goddess that showed his updated stats.

_Bell Cranel Level: 1_

_Power: 608 C __à__ 620 C_

_Endurance: 433 G __à__ 450 G_

_Dexterity: 561 D __à__ 580 D_

_Agility: 678 C __à__ 690 C_

_Magic: 500 D __à__ 535 D_

_Spells: Bararaq_

_Developmental Abilities: -_

_Skills: Dungeon Capturer, King Vessel, Transparent Rukh, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"Um, goddess?" Bell looked at the dark-haired beauty that had changed his life. "That weird space underneath my skills, what is it?"

"Huh?" Hestia barely lifter her lifted her gaze from her nails to glace at the sheet. "My hand must have slipped at the end of the ritual, don't worry about it. Why don't you go and get us something to eat while I prepare the table."

Hestia's quick suggestion had succeeded in distracting her Familia from her not-a-lie-but-not-quite-truthful answer to his question and focused his thoughts away from the momentary bout of sadness he felt at his hopes for a new skill being dashed. With bright red eyes and a quickly flashed smile, Hestia's beloved child threw on his black chain-thread shirt and rushed back up the secret passageway to the surface, eager to buy something filling for the duo with his hard-earned valis.

After the short deus was sure that her blessed mortal had left she let out a big sigh that she had been holding back. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Hestia reached for the sheet of parchment Bell had left on the sole bed in the underground room and ran her fingers over the part of the report Bell had been questioning about. With a flash of divine energy, the scribbles that had covered the section rearranged themselves into words. There underneath the skill area of the stat report, the three never before seen skills were joined by one more that she had made show itself.

_Dungeon Capturer: Gain extra excelia in any structure considered a Dungeon._

_King Vessel: Better chance of finding drop loot, learning new spells, gaining new skills, and finding larger than normal magic stones. Close confidants to the user of this skill also have a chance of obtaining great powers in relative to the possessor's Djinn._

_Transparent Rukh: Has Rukh (a soul) that does not conform to any single element, because of this the user can gain skills from unexpected sources. _

_Liaris Freese: Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings._

"congratulations Bell." Hestia smiled sadly at the new text. "You've gained yet another never before seen skill. Another one that, if the other deus learned about, would see you taken from me."

The goddess' melancholy only lasted a few moments, however, before she grit her teeth and a tick mark formed on her forehead.

"But what the hell Bell! You already have the attention of your beautiful goddess, why'd you have to get such a skill for this Wallen-whatever person!"

Half an hour later, when Bell returned to his goddess' and his abode, he could only puzzle at what he could have done to anger the petite deity, for she barely spoke a word to him while they ate. What she did say to him and that he could understand, something about a cheater and philanderer, only confused Bell more than her glower. His confusion reached an apex when Hestia's mood turned forlorn and she addressed him.

"Bell… Before I met you, I was alone, and I thought I would be alone for the rest of my time in the Lower World. I never want to feel like that again Bell, please don't die in the Dungeon or while adventuring. Please don't ever leave me alone again."

While Bell was still confused about where this worry of Hestia's had come from, he was sure of one thing: the woman who had believed in him and changed his life was scared and hurting on the inside. Absently, the boy's mind wandered to something his grandfather had once said to him.

_"Bell, when a woman is hurting on the inside, it is your job as a __man__ to make her feel better. So, give her a tight hug, feel her against you and let her feel the beating of your heart!"_

Quickly the white-haired Adventurer moved from his spot at the end of their home's only couch (which was also doubled his bed) so that he was seated right next to Hestia on her side of the couch. Swiftly, so his courage wouldn't fail him, Bell wrapped his arms around goddess Hestia and brought her into a tight hug, trying with all his might to not think of the two fleshy mounds he felt pressing against his chest nor of the rest of his grandfather's advise that he would not be following.

_"Then give her a deep kiss with lots of tongue, before using your hands to cop a feel of-"_

_No!_ Bell did his best to not let his deus see his tomato-red face as they separated, but by the look of her closed eyes, he had little to worry about. _Get ahold of yourself Bell! You're a Dungeon Capturer and King Vessel, act like it! Just act as Mr. Baal would!_

"Goddess." Bell let out a small exhale that brought his blush under control. "I swear that I'll never leave you alone again."

"Thank you, Bell." Hestia smiled brightly at the boy even as tears of happiness fell from her azure eyes. "Now we should get ready for bed."

Bell just smiled in agreement, and half an hour later both of them were lying in their respective beds. Hestia snuggled in her queen-sized bed underneath her mud-brown cotton sheets while Bell was situated comfortably on the couch with a thick blanket covering him for warmth. On the room's wall, the only magic stone lamp in the room slowly dimmed, causing the shadows in the room to grow deeper and deeper until the room was consumed by darkness.

"Bell?" Hestia called out into the dark.

"Yes, goddess?" The sole member of the Hestia Familia answered.

"The Feast of the Gods starts in a few days, so I won't see you after you return from the Dungeon for the next few days. I'm sorry." In the dark Hestia's usually upbeat sounded incredibly somber.

"Don't worry goddess." Bell's voice echoed off the stone walls, comforting and positive. "I'll be here waiting for your return, so go have fun with the other deus."

…

"Good night, Bell." Hestia responded after a short bout of silence.

"Sleep well, my goddess.: Bell responded, his tone already showing that he was drifting off into unconsciousness.

An hour and a half later, after Hestia was sure that Bell was deep into Hypnos' realm of dreams, the goddess quietly removed her covers from her person and got out of her bed. Without hesitation, she snuck through the small pitch-black room, lifted Bell's sole blanket from his body and gently laid herself on him in its place before letting allowing it to fall on top of both of them. There; snuggled between her Familia and his blanket, and hidden in the dark, Hestia allowed a content smile to form on her lips as she drifted to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Familia Part 2

**A.N: Was able to get this out much earlier than I expected, so I hope you all enjoy. Also, check the bottom A.N because I have an interesting story idea that I would like all of your thought on.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Familia Part 2

\- 8 Hours Later-

Bell felt warm. He felt like he was currently snuggled up against a furnace that was set to just the right setting to keep Bell perfectly comfortable, not too hot that he was sweating and not so cold that only a part of him was warm. Indeed, the warmth reached every pore of the boy's body; his toes felt perfectly content instead of slightly chilled like they usually did in the mornings, something wrapping around his back was helping keep his back feel just as toasty as his chest where, to the best of Bell's barely awake aware mind, he could tell most of the warmth was originating from. Just bellow Bell's chin the boy also felt something else that was very soft and rubbing it with his chin or cheeks made his whole face feel much warmer.

_The best part,_ Bell's slowly waking mind decided. _The source of the warmth is just so __soft!_

Certainly, what was making Bell feel so wonderfully warm was quite soft, though even in the sanctity of his not-quite coherent mind Bell refused to consider it squishy, though for what reason he did not know. In fact, after Bell's mind started to really get into the final stages of waking up, the boy absently noted how the greatest of the furnace's warmth seemed to originate from the two softest areas on the soft furnace; two mound-like areas that were pressed up against Bell's chest…

…

…

_Maybe the goddess gave me the soft furnace after I fell asleep last night._

…

…

_Wait a second… We don't have a regular furnace, let alone a soft one. So, what is making me feel so warm…?_

Sluggishly, Bell Cranel's crimson-red eyes opened for the first time on this new day. The bright orbs blinked a few times to clear out the sleep that lingered on the edges of his vision before staring up at the earthen-colored ceiling of his and his goddess' home, before steadily dropping to investigate the source of his comfort. His gaze landed upon the image of his beautiful deus sleeping, not only with him on the couch that was his bed at night but on his chest.

Her left rosy cheek was scrunched against his chest just below his color bone as small dribbles of drool were threatening to fall onto Bell's sleeping shirt, though judging by the dampness of that spot the goddess had already drooled quite a bit during the night. Bell could feel that Hestia had managed to wrap her arms around his body at some point during the night, just as he could feel that one of her hands was pressed into the concave between his shoulder blades while the other had somehow roamed to the small of his back, the zone that was just above his butt!

That revelation startled Bell to such a degree that his face turned beat red and he almost shot out of his bed. Almost being the optimal word of the young Adventurer's attempt because the moment Bell began to move his chest pressed harder into the warm mounds that he had absently noticed earlier, and Bell's mind just stalled when he realized that what he was feeling was Hestia's bountiful bosom pressed against his chest.

For almost twenty minutes Bell just laid there, underneath his goddess while he prayed to said goddess, begging that she would not awake just yet and notice his reaction to being in close proximity to her.

_Thank… Hestia? That she is at least wearing clothes!_

After bringing himself under control, Bell began to work himself out of Hestia's embrace. Ten minutes later Bell had managed to substitute himself with a pillow, allowing him to get to his feet and stretch out his back until it released a series of pleasant cracks. After which, Bell carefully moved the divine beauty back to her bed, even tucking her in beneath her sheets. What followed was an impressively quick morning ritual to prepare for the day; brushing his teeth, changing into his armored undershirt, and then equipping his Guild issued armor. His final act, before turning towards the door out of the Familia of two' home, was strapping his Guild issue knife to his thigh and his Metal Vessel sword to his hip. Then, just before he left his new home to begin his trek to the Great Dungeon, he turned to the dainty woman who had changed his life, who was now snuggled deep into her sheets.

"Have a nice day goddess and enjoy yourself at the Feast. I'm going to train really hard so that I can impress Lay Ais and make you proud goddess Hestia. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you goddess, so thank you."

With an excited smile and a pep in his step, Bell jogged out of the dilapidated church that he and his goddess lived beneath. In his hurry Bell missed one of Hestia's blue eyes cracking open.

"Oh, silly Bell, I'm already so proud of you. I just wish I could do more for you instead of being a good-for-nothing goddess that can't even giver her Familia a good home."

* * *

Bell was only a few streets away from Babel Tower and by extension the Great Dungeon, when his routine was once again interrupted, this time by a cute girl with blue-grey hair and storm grey-colored eyes who was wearing an emerald-green maid outfit.

"Mr. Adventurer! Hello Mr. Adventurer!" In an effort to capture Bell's attention, a successful effort at that, the girl had planted herself in the boy's path and leaned into his personal space to peer deep into his crimson eyes.

With such close proximity to the girl Bell instantly got a good look at her facial features. Like how her mischievous smile looked really cute on her, how her lips seemed to naturally pout in a way that was both innocent and attractive, and how her bare neck reminded Bell of how his grandfather once told him that girls liked being kissed on there.

_Bad Bell!_ Bell shook his head slightly to try to get his blush under control. _Focus! This girl must have called out to me for a reason, so focus!_

"H-hello miss." Bell managed to stutter out before taking a deep breath. "Can I help you?"

"Are you on your way to the Dungeon sir Adventurer?" The beauty asked, ignoring Bell's question. "This early in the morning?"

"Yes…" Bell raised a white eyebrow in confusion. "I usually leave earlier in fact but had some… maters… to work out with my goddess."

"That is a very impressive work ethic sir Adventurer. You must be very dedicated to your deus, Familia, and to being an Adventurer." The girl clasped her hands behind her back and gave Bell a bright, wide smile.

"Well, she did accept me into her Familia when all the other deus wouldn't even speak to me. She changed my life and despite being the only member of her Familia, because of her I can do what I love and pursue my dream."

"Your dream?" The girl pursed her lips in interest at the gleam of excitement that shined in Bell's crimson orbs when he mentioned his dreams.

"Ya, I want to be a Her-!" Bell's face immediately went beat-red, again, and he started to stumble with his words. "I mean a High-Class Adventurer! Ya, I wanna be a High-Class Adventurer."

"Whatever you say, sir Adventurer." The girl in maid attire smiled slyly, obviously seeing through the white-haired boy's lie. "But anyway, I think you dropped this yesterday when you passed by the Hostess of Fertility."

The girl's hands darted from behind her back to present themselves before Bell. Her hands, while lightly calloused from work, were dainty and slim, and clutched in her fingers was a small blackish-purple stone that shone with thousands of multicolored lights. It was a magic stone from the Great Dungeon, one that Bell could safely guess came from the top floors of the structure based on its size. Yet no matter the size, the stone was something anyone could trade for free valis, and instead of doing so this stranger was returning it to Bell.

It was a rather touching gesture… or it would have been if it wasn't a lie that Bell easily saw through. The day before, Bell had ignored the stones dropped by top floor monsters in lieu of making his way to the 10th Floor as fast of possible. It was only once he had reached that floor did the boy begin collecting the spoils of his efforts, and the magic stones of floors 10 through 13 were considerably larger than those dropped on floors 1 through 3, even if the ones he eventually brought back weren't considered all that big.

With those thought flowing through his head Bell didn't absently take the stone out of greed, nor did he reject the gesture and point out the girl's lie. Instead, Bell let any thoughts about the situation slip from his mind and just looked into the girl's eyes. One thing that Baal didn't even need to teach Bell was that the eyes were the windows to a person's soul and after gaining a basic understanding of his own Rukh, Bell had figured out that he could learn a lot about a person by looking them in the eye while focusing on his Rukh, even if it was a somewhat difficult thing to do. The power had managed to even impress Bell's stoic Djinn, the being saying that even with how old he was, it was something he had never known could be done.

Within those stormy orbs, while Bell did see deceit and mischief, he did not see any kind of ill will in the shorter girl's eyes. And because of that Bell accepted the stone, and whatever came with it, with a smile.

"Thank you miss, I had no idea I had dropped one of my magic stones. It is very kind of you to return it."

"It is no problem sir Adventurer." The girl responded with another sly smile. "And you can call my Syr, Syr Flora."

"Bell Cranel."

Syr opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted by what sounded like the growl of a ravenous beast. The threatening noise of something that wanted to consume the world and claim all the world's best flavors for its own. The sound of Bell Cranel's rumbling stomach.

Before the boy could even look sheepish at the noise his gut was making, he found that in his hands the girl had placed a small boxed meal wrapped in orange and white cloth. To the Adventurer who had completely forgotten to eat something in his nervousness at waking his goddess, the little meal in his hand smelled practically divine and caused a small bit of drool to begin to drip from corner of his lips before he hastily wiped it on the shoulder of his coat.

"It's not much, but…" Syr closed her eyes and tilted her head while smiling at the boy.

"I couldn't, though. I can't take lunch from someone I just met." Bell tried to hand the meal back to the girl, but she refused to even raise her hands to catch the box in case the boy dropped it. "And isn't this your breakfast?"

"Don't worry about it." The girl looked back into the open door of the building behind her. "There'll be something for me to eat once the pub opens.

Following the girl's gaze, Bell saw that on the other side of the door was a classically styled pub. The bar looked worn but well-polished and maintained, and all the tables in the facility were still stacked on the dining area's tables. Near the back of the restaurant Bell saw a quick moving figure dressed in the same uniform as Syr but who seemed to have some sort of tail.

"In exchange…" Syr addressed Bell again, drawing his focus back on her. "Make sure you come eat here tonight. It's a promise… or is that not ok?"

When the cute girl bowed slightly at the waist and raised her finger to his lips to punctuate her words, Bell knew he had lost. In her eyes mischief once again shone through and the cute quirk of her lips reminded Bell of a fox that had just managed to corner a rabbit. In the end, there was nothing else he could do but agree with her and accept her self-satisfied 'Thank you'.

"I need to get back to work, but I'll see you later tonight Bell!"

After delivering her departing words, Sry speedily fled into the large wooden inn and pub. Bell, lightly scratching his cheek in response to the entire encounter and trying to shake the remainder of his blush from his pale cheeks, ultimately decided to just get on with his day and resumed his trek to the Dungeon entrance while pocketing the magic stone and carefully storing the meal his new friend had given him.

Only to suddenly freeze when a small stream of fluttering white birds only he could see flew by his face. Turning his head, Bell followed the trail of the Rukh to the front door of the Hostess of Fertility and then up past the second floor to one of the windows on the building's third floor. At that point, Bell's crimson eyes met and gazed into the leaf-green eyes of a blonde elf with a face that betrayed no emotion but surprise at being caught staring. Bell, curious at this new person who caught the attention of the Rukh, decided to really look into the she-elf's forest-colored orbs.

Within Bell again found no ill will, just a deep sense of protectiveness and loyalty, and an even deeper feeling of biting loss. So, the young man smiled up at the elf and waved. The girl didn't return the smile, but she did give Bell a single wave in response before walking away from the window, something Bell considered greeting enough.

With his second strange encounter of the day done, Bell, finally, resumed his jog towards the Dungeon determined to gain as much excelia as he could before his goddess returned from the Feast. However, just as Bell entered the courtyard outside Babel Tower, the boy stiffened and whirled around with his hand on his sword.

The Adventurer had felt an intense gaze upon him, one that he had felt multiple times since he had entered the Dungeon City and one that he had never been able to identify the source of. The first few times he had felt it the gaze would linger for hours at a time, making Bell incredibly jumpy and paranoid, and now, half a month later, Bell would only feel the sensation a few time a week and for only short periods, but they still left him feeling twitchy and no less paranoid.

It was also incredibly annoying, and Bell expressed the sentiment by muttering obscenities under his breath all the way to the Dungeon entrance that had other Adventurers avoiding him and casting nervous glances his way. The additional eyes only worsened Bell's annoyance at the original stalker who ruined his good morning. The monsters of the Great Dungeon's top floors soon learned to avoid the aggravated white-haired teen if they wanted to avoid being killed slowly by the Adventurer who was working out his aggression by only using his bare hands and feet.

* * *

The first time she had seen him it had been out of the corner of her eye as she surreptitiously wandered the streets or Orario while looking into the souls of the great city's inhabitance. He just ran out of one alleyway and was heading toward another when she caught sight of his magnificent soul. In that single instant, she had seen something that had taken her breath away but she had only gotten a glimpse at it, not enough to truly appreciate the soul's beauty, and by the time she had reached the alley that the boy with the amazing soul had disappeared into he was gone.

Goddess Frey had nearly despaired right then and there. The city of Orario was huge and was home of the largest population of mortals and gods in the world. The chances of her seeing the boy with the amazing soul again naturally again were nearly zero, and she wouldn't be able to scry him until she at least knew his name. She would have thrown a tantrum on the dirty streets of the Dungeon City if the strength of the goddess of War aspect of her hadn't of reared itself from inactivity and filled her with determination. While most of Orario, including most of her own Familia, knew her as Freya the goddess of Beauty, she was in truth also a deity of Love, Death, and War, and when needed she could draw great inner strength from her other aspects.

With her War aspect awakened, Freya had marched back to her personal quarters at the top of Babel Tower and got to work in tracking down the boy with the transparent soul. Besides Ottar, she had refrained from telling any of her Children of her new personal quest. Despite how much most of her Children tried to hide it from her, she knew what their reactions would be if she showed interest in a man outside of the Familia, and such attention on the boy would not help him in the slightest, at least not yet. Instead, she had used Ottar and messengers from the Orario's criminal underworld to get in touch with her trusted sources in said criminal underworld. In her haste, she may have been a little sloppy in her machinations and maybe a bit lose with her hires, but ultimately she managed to get word to those outside her Familia but loyal to her to report any sightings of a young man with snow-white hair and crimson-red eyes to her.

It didn't take too long for word on the child to make it's way back to her, but in the end, it was a series of fortuitous events that lead her back to the child with the wonderous soul. One of the more questionable and untrustworthy of the messengers she had hired, some Amazonian woman who only did odd jobs like the one Freya had hired her for when she wasn't working for Ishtar as one of the goddess' many prostitutes, had come to Ottar, her proxy in speaking with the criminal aspects of the city, and claimed to have of seen the boy Freya was seeking walking out of the inn he was staying at. Regardless of the fact that the woman, as a messenger was supposed to deliver letters and not read them, had defied her instructions, Freya deigned to have Ottar investigate the mortal's lead. And what a lead it was! Because the prostitute had indeed found Freya's quarry! When her most trusted child had returned with confirmation of the Amazonian's claim Freya had been in such a good mood that she had graced Ishtar's child with a sizable bonus in addition to the large amount she had promised to any of her sources that found the boy. She didn't even have the tart killed, after all, Freya was sure that her fellow goddess of Love and War had far more important things to worry about, what with her war for control of Orario's underworld and all the issues that came with the position, than to worry about why Freya was interested in some light-haired mortal.

Then, after commanding Ottar to inform her criminal connections that their services were no longer necessary, she had donned her enchanted shawl and slipped out of her Familia's home and hastily made her way to the inn that the boy was staying in. She had ended up concealing her presence by spending the rest of the day at the bakery across the street from the inn the young man was staying at, patiently waiting for him to either return from whatever errands he was running or for him to leave the establishment for any reason. In the end, her persistence paid off; the boy returned to the little inn and she finally got to see his wonderous soul again. It was every bit as beautiful as she vaguely remembered it being.

The best way she could describe the boy's soul was that it was transparent, but that was too simple an explanation to do the phenomenon justice. It reflected every soul that came close to it or touched it and made the colors of their souls stand out in ways Freya had never seen before. For instance when the child asked a random man with a common blue-colored soul, a color Freya saw everywhere in Orario, for directions, When the man with the common was in the boy's presence Freya's eyes nearly popped from her skull when the man's soul seemed to shift from common blue to the color of water far at sea. With some investigating Freya was able to learn that the man was actually a very reputable fisherman from Melen who knew all the best fishing spots around Orario's maritime partner. The boy's soul seemed to have the same effect one every soul that it came in contact with, no matter what race nor gender nor background they came from.

After one day of following the youth around the Dungeon City Freya had been hooked, she needed to know the boy's name and a few under-the-table valis to the innkeeper of the establishment he was staying at got her the priceless information; Bell Cranel, the wonderous mortal's name was Bell Cranel. Not only did his soul fundamentally change how her **Discerning Eye **saw the souls around him, but her power also couldn't quite fully understand his soul. Yes, it was transparent, but it also almost seemed to take on the color of whatever souls were around it… at least most of it did. The day after her first day of following him, Freya had decided to again follow Bell Cranel around Orario in hops of learning more about him, however, before she could she saw something else that boggled her mind. A part of the boy's soul, a tiny part that was little more than a sliver, was permanently stained an electric blue that was unquestionably not his natural soul-color. As an analogy; if Bell Cranel's soul was likened to a crystal-clear marble, then a tiny rounded corner of the marble was somehow a color that was completely different from the rest of it.

At that moment Freya had nearly squealed in excitement. Her little Bell was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and she **LOVED HIM **because of it!

She had to have him to herself… but she couldn't have him to close to her. Her **Charm** deeply affected the souls of any who gazed on her beauty and should the charmed be left in close proximity to her then the change to their souls was permeant. She would not do that to that to her Bell! She could not allow him into her Familia… no, she could not allow Bell Cranel to join any Familia. It would be impossible to know if the Blessing Ritual would somehow change the boy's one-of-a-kind soul, and it was not a risk that the goddess of Beauty, Love, and War was willing to risk.

It had been simple to get a _persuasive_ word out to most of the Familias in the Dungeon City that they were to turn away any young man with snow-white hair and blood-red eyes. In fact, it had been strangely easy to force even the deus she had rocky relationships with; Athena, Artemis, Thor, and Gefion to do as she commanded. While it was concerning that there might be another pair of eyes on the miraculous mortal, Freya was positive in her ability to crush any other Familias that tried to get her way with her own Blessed mortals, even Ishtar if her fellow goddess tried to contest her claim on Bell Cranel. None, but her would have him, she just needed time to find a way to make him immune to her **Charm**, and during her search, no other deus would be allowed to bless him.

…

…

That had ended up being a massive mistake on her part. During the days that Bell Cranel was looking for a Familia, she had kept a close watch on him with her crystal ball, and she had seen the moment that his soul had nearly changed, and she could do nothing to stop it. After he had been rejected by the Thor Familia something had caught his eye, _something she could_ _just almost see but that remained elusively out of her vision_, but when _whatever_ he had been chasing had seemingly led him to nothing Bell Cranel had nearly broken down. From her room at the top of Babel Tower Freya had begun screaming and crying in desperation as she watched _tendrils of dark malice and black hatred_ had begun _eating away at Bell Cranel's soul_. She had demanded that Ottar bring the boy to her before his soul could change but, even for a Level 7 Adventurer, both of them knew it would be impossible for the Boaz to reach the young man in time. Freya would be forced to watch the most interesting soul she had ever seen get corrupted through her crystal ball, AND IT WAS ALL HER FAULT!

Then a miracle had occurred before her (distant) eyes; Loli Big-Boobs Hestia, Familia-less Hestia, the Stall-Working Goddess Hestia, Poor-as-Dirt Hestia had appeared, as if out of the either, and offered Bell Cranel a place in her Familia. Freya had absolutely no trouble believing that word of who the child 'belonged' to had never reached the goddess of the Hearth. She had been such a non-entity before, that the possibility of Bell being Blessed by the destitute goddess had never even crossed Freya's mind.

…

And as much as Freya wanted to **RAGE** at the mere thought of any deus Blessing Bell but her, Freya felt only relief and thanks towards Hestia for her timely appearance to save Bell's soul from _whatever_ was happening to it. The goddess of Beauty then felt immeasurable relief when, after his Blessing, Bell Cranel's soul remained just as beautiful as it was before… no, somehow the ritual had made his clear soul look more defined while the joy the boy felt made his marble-like soul shine brilliantly.

The whole incident had opened Freya's eyes, she knew what she needed to do now. She needed more information; she needed to know more about the nature of the mortal soul, she needed to know _what had happened_ to the boy's soul when he nearly broke, and she needed to know how to counteract her own **Charm**. She needed to know all these things, and more because one day, Bell Cranel would be hers.

And until that day came, she would keep careful watch over him from afar and she would do what she could to see him grow into a magnificent Adventurer.

* * *

-6:20 pm-

-Great Dungeon -

As Bell Cranel looked down at the monster corpse slowly disappearing at his feet on one thought echoed through his mind.

_I did it, just like I knew I could have done yesterday. Hell, this time I didn't even need Bararaq Idrab!_

Looking into the burning-red eyes of the brown-haired Minotaur who was releasing its last breath, Bell felt… conflicted.

_From the way Miss Eina and all the other Adventurers describe the Middle Floors, I really expected the monsters here to be stronger. Sure, the Minotaurs and Lygerfangs are about as dangerous as the Dragonlings from Baal's dungeon, but the Hellhounds and Almiraj are only really dangerous if you let them surprise or team-up one you._

As the rest of the 'noob-killer' disintegrated into flecks of blackness and Bell pocketed the magic stone it dropped, the white-haired boy smiled when the dark cloud dissipated and revealed a glowing red Minotaur Horn drop-item left behind. With a wide smile, Bell thanked his good fortune and his **King Vessel** skill for the plethora of drop-items in his pack that he added the horn too. Then, after quickly checking his surroundings for any hidden monsters, Bell quietly drew a small pocket watch from his trouser pockets and checked the time.

_Ok, I've already been in the Dungeon for over seven hours, I'm almost out of water, and it took me almost three hours to reach the 16__th__ Floor, so I should probably start making my way back to the surface. Tomorrow I'll bring more water with me so I can stay longer, and hopefully, I'll be able to fight a Dungeon Worm or Infant Dragon… I wonder how they compare to the Dragonlings from Baal's Dungeon._

Bell made it all the way to the chamber housing the next upward stairway on the 15th Floor when he encountered complications regarding his planned retreat. Standing there in front of the stairway to the 14th Floor, as if they knew he was coming and were guarding the exit from him, three Minotaurs glared red hatred at Bell. The chamber they were in was large, more than 50 feet long and wide, so Bell didn't need to worry about them charging him right out of the gate, consequently Bell took his time preparing himself for the upcoming fight.

The first thing he did was return the Guild issued dagger back to its sheath, the cheap blade just couldn't hurt the muscled Middle Floor monsters unless one aimed the weapon at the beast's eyes, but in a fight against three such monsters, such a tactic would be far more trouble than it was worth, especially when Bell had a weapon that was much better suited to killing the 'noob-killers'. Drawing Baal's Metal Vessel, Bell slowly fed the weapon his magoi, watching with a grin as the eight-pointed star glowed brightly and sparks of blue electricity began flowing across the blade's length. During his continued Djinn Weapon Equip training, Bell had learned that even without the full transformation, if his sword was covered with electricity then he could cut through most thing much easier. The Minotaur he had just killed minutes ago could attest to the sharpness of the lightning enhanced blade.

With his blade sufficiently powered, Bell shifted into a powerful twohanded grip and dashed towards the three Minotaurs at full speed. With his body low, the King Vessel was easily able to avoid the left-most Minotaur when the monster charged him with its horns by sliding between the beast's legs, while taking the moment to deliver a savage cut the first Minotaur's right Achilles tendon, before using his momentum to roll back onto his feet. The moment Bell was standing again he had to dodge a savage punch that slammed into the Dungeon floor from the right-most Minotaur by literally spinning on his left foot, this time the boy used his momentum from his dodge to position his sword, plant his right foot and pivot his hips into a powerful cut that hacked off the second Minotaur's right arm just above the elbow.

As the first Minotaur tried to force its damaged leg to move and the second beast howled at the pain of losing its right hand, Bell charged straight towards the third and biggest Minotaur. In response to the little human's blatant challenge, the third beast released a huff from its nostrils that came out hot enough to be steam and widened its stance as it waited for the boy to get closer. The moment the Adventurer was within range, the third Minotaur stepped forward with its left leg and brought both its muscle-bound arms together in an attempt to catch the boy in a hug of death. The third Minotaur didn't realize it had failed until it felt the electrified point of Bell's sword stab into its neck right above its right shoulder

When Bell had seen the third Minotaur step forward and try to grab him, he had taken that moment to, once again, use his momentum to slide under an attack. This time, with the help of a small step to his left, Bell slid under the Minotaur's crushing hug and past its leg that had not stepped forward. Then when his left foot made contact with the rockface left of the stairway to the 14th Floor, Bell braced his left leg and used it to push himself up and towards the third Minotaur. The maneuver had worked perfectly and resulted in the white-haired Adventurer being shot like a loose spring right at the Minotaur's neck. Bell's electrified heirloom sword had punctured right through the thick muscles of the Minotaur's neck but failed to pierce all the way through the monster's neck and failed to instantly kill the beast. Bell rectified this by using the motion of his jump to drag his sword up and through the back of the third Minotaur's neck, through the thin spot its spine, and out the left side of the meaty neck. With its neck severed the Minotaur's arms dropped to its side and it dropped to its knees like a puppet whose strings had just been cut. With his largest opponent paralyzed, Bell finished the job by dashing from its left to its right while cutting at the only part of the Minotaur's neck that was still attached to its body.

The result; the largest Minotaur's entire head spun from its body similar to a cork that had been violently separated from its bottle.

With the largest threat dealt with, Bell turned to address the two smaller Minotaurs just in time to widen his eyes and stumble out of the way of a left sucker-punch from the Minotaur whose right hand he had cut off moments earlier. With a growl, Bell leaped into the air when the monster tried to swipe at him with its horns and with his downward momentum the Adventurer stabbed his sparking sword into the soft part of the Minotaur's skull; the center of the back of the bull-like skull where the monster's spine and skull both weakened to meet together. As a result, Bell's sword stabbed straight into the monster's brain and fried its apple-sized grey-matter.

The moment the second Minotaur began spasming Bell's red eyes had flickered to zero in on the first, and now the last, of the Minotaurs. The beast had made a valiant attempt to close the distance between Bell and it but with its torn leg muscle it had only been able to drag its ruined leg a few feet leaving a good ten feet between the Adventure and it, and seeing this Bell took a moment to let out an exhale of excursion and catch his breath. When the final monster finally dragged itself close enough to Bell to attack the boy, Bell easily ducked under its exhausted meaty swipe with its right hand. The Adventurer almost lazily ducked under the attack and moved directly behind the last Minotaur, and then shoved his sword deep into the beast's muscled back towards the Minotaur's heart. Then Bell pumped just a little more magoi into Baal's Metal Vessel and watched as the monster got electrocuted from the inside out.

Once the final Minotaur's body was starting to crumble into black smoke, Bell pulled his sword from what was left of the monster's body and turned to inspect the way he came, making sure that nothing was about to ambush him, before flicked the Minotaur blood from his sword and sheathed the weapon.

Then, because no one was looking, Bell did a little Happy Dance with a blinding smile on his face.

_Oh man, that was so cool! I was just like Theseus but like, three times as awesome!... I hope you can see me from wherever you are Grandpa, I'm on my way to becoming a Hero like those in the stories you told me as a kid… I also really hope you didn't just see me do my Happy Dance just know._

A bit more satisfied with his time exploring the Middle Floors, Bell gathered up the three magic stones the monsters had dropped, and yet another glowing red Minotaur Horn drop-item, this one dropped by the biggest of the three Minotaurs and the first he had killed and pocketed them all. With a small grin on his face, Bell started jogging up the stairs to the 14th Floor. All the fighting he had done had given him a healthy appetite, and with how much money he must have made Bell was looking forward to spending some of it at the Hostess of Fertility for some grub.

-Three and a Half Hours Later-

-Outside the Hostess of Fertility-

850,000 valis richer and with a stomach that was growling so often and so deeply that parents were leading their kids to the other side of the street to avoid him, Bell was extremely grateful the aromas coming from the Hostess of Fertility smelled really good. Yes, it was causing his mouth to water slightly at the moment, but it also meant that when he got his food it would probably taste great!

As Bell took in one more whiff of the delicious smell, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Oh, you made it!" With a serving trey clutched to her breast and combined with her green waitress outfit, Syr Flova looked every bit the dutiful waitress that enjoyed her job instead of hating it. Seeing her sly smile and the warm atmosphere of the inn and pub she worked in, Bell couldn't help but smile fondly as memories of spending time with his Aunty Mary she worked her inn. "I wasn't sure if you would remember."

Frowning internally at the wavy-tone Sly had taken with her admission, Bell couldn't stop himself from feeling slightly bad for even giving the cute waitress the impression that he might have forgotten their promise. Outwardly, Bell gave the girl a kind smile before responding.

"We made a promise. Besides, the lunch you gave me was really helpful down in the Dungeon and I really want to thank you for it."

"Then please come in, and welcome to the Hostess of Fertility." Syr smiled again as she led Bell though the pub's wooden doors and to stool in front of the bar counter that had a rough piece of parchment on it. "Here is a menu but personally I would recommend-"

"Syr!" A loud and deep but undoubtedly feminine easily called over the bustling chatter of the pub's other patrons. "I need you to go fetch some more drinks for those lads from Hephaestus' Familia! Chop chop!"

"Ok, Mama!" Syr smiled apologetically at Bell as she slowly walked backward away from him. "Find something you like on the menu; I'll be back as soon as I can!"

With a smile, Bell waved off the grey-haired waitress as she danced her way through a throng of laughing rowdy Adventurers before turning to look at the menu in his hands… at least he would have if a large, tanned hand hadn't have darted from the other side of the bar to yank the paper from his grasp. With a sheepish look on his face, Bell's eyes darted up to look at the figure who had taken his menu before he was ready to order.

The figure that now stood opposite to him across the bar counter was perhaps the tallest woman Bell had ever seen with muscles to match her great frame and her skin was a tanned bronze, both of which spoke of her non-human ancestry. Just from looking at her, Bell could tell that this woman was strong, far stronger than he was and far stronger than anything he had been forced to fight before. Yet, despite that, a small smile formed on Bell's face at just the sight of the tall woman. Whoever this woman was, she reminded Bell of Aunty Mary and he appreciated the found reminder of his old home.

In response to the boy's smile, one of the woman's eyebrows rose a hair, surprised that the small boy looked happy to meet her instead of intimidated before she smiled back at him. Then she slammed a large bowl of pasta covered in meat sauce in front of him, startling Bell enough that he nearly jumped from his seat.

"I hear your one of Syr's little friends, ha?" The woman, who Bell realized must have been the same person who had called for Syr to attend to other guests, spoke in a fond tone and with a wide smile. "I didn't think they made Adventurers as cute as you, sweetie."

"Please don't pick on me." Bell's response was almost automatic at this point, what with how most of the women in his life liked to mess with him.

"Ah, and a sensitive one too." From the tone of the woman's voice, Bell's request was going to be ignored.

"Umm… Thank you for the food but I haven't ordered anything yet." Bell tried to reason with the tall woman but only received a second plate, this one with a well-cooked fish on it, for his troubles.

"Here you go, kid! Your so skinny, you need to put some meat on them bones." The woman winked at white-haired Adventurer with a wide smile and cut him off when he tried to object. "You're gonna have'ta eat something to grow big and strong, ya know."

Bell was left with nothing to do but pout and begin to eat his forced meal as the woman as she walked away.

"Do you like it?" Bell glanced up to his right with a piece of fish slowly being grounded into bits in his mouth to see that Syr was leaning against the Bar next to him. "So, are you having a good time?"

"The food is great, but I think the big lady might have it out for me." Bell joked half-heartily as he rolled up some pasta on his fork and shoved it into his mouth.

"Hehe, I'm sorry to hear that." Judging by Syr's giggling she was not sorry in the slightest. "But it looks like I'll be making some pretty good money tonight though."

"Ah, good for you." Bell deadpanned good-naturedly as he tore off another bit of fish and plopped it into his mouth. "Ehh…"

"This is a really great place to find all sorts of different people." Syr turned away from Bell, but he could tell that she was smiling in the direction of the many different patrons who were all grinning, laughing, or being some sort of pleasantly rowdy. "And the more people there are, the more amazing stuff there is to hear about. That's why I'm always excited to come to work. Collecting relationships is like one of my favorite things to do, it just gets my heart pounding you know?"

While Bell didn't quite understand, he smiled wide at the obvious passion in his new friend's voice when as she spoke. Said friend, when she turned back around to look at Bell, couldn't stop herself from giggling again at the sight of his meat-sauce stained smile.

"Nya!" A cheerful voice shouted over the noise of the pub. "The big party with the reservation just arrived! Nya!"

Turning to watch the commotion, Bell saw that the one who had made the announcement was a mischievous looking girl with cat ears and a tail, and that following her into the pub was a group of ten figure who each radiated a sense of confidence. Yet, to Bell, the only one he really saw was the last figure to enter the restaurant.

Blonde hair and gold eyes shone in the low light of the bar. Her long legs were nearly bare for the world to see, covered only by a pair of high-heeled boots and a short miniskirt, while her backless dress fit her shapely body beautifully. Once again, the sight of Ais Wallenstein took Bell's breath away as he watched her, and her Familia take their seats at the biggest table in the establishment. All the while the Top-Tier Familia ignored the bout of gossiping that all the pub's other patrons began to mutter.

"Bell, hello?" Syr waved her hand in front of the boy's face before noticing the group he was watching. "The members of the Loki Familia are some of our best customers. Their patron goddess Loki really like eating her, like a lot."

As Bell absently ate his delicious food, spoke to his new friend, and got to watch the interactions between high-level Adventurers, Bell came to the decision that the Hostess of Fertility would be his go-to pub to relax in after a hard day of dungeon crawling.

_Maybe I should bring goddess Hestia here? I'm sure she would enjoy the food and atmosphere._

Bell's good mood last up until goddess Loki had to leave so that she could prepare for the upcoming Feast of the Gods, taking with her the male blonde-haired Pallum who was concerned with their patron trying to blow off the important event. For it was after his goddess left, did one of the Loki Familia Adventurers get a little too drunk and began a conversation that was loud enough to be heard all across the pub.

"Hey, Ais!" A silver-haired Werewolf slammed his tankard onto his Familia's table. "It's about time you told everyone about what happened the other day! It was freaking hilarious."

"And what story is that?" Ais questioned her party member, her naturally aristocratic voice tilted in confusion.

"Come on, you know what I'm talking about! All those damn Minotaurs got loose. You told me you followed them and finished off the last of them on the 5th Floor, right? Well was also chasing after them and I saw that you had to save that tomato dumbass!"

From his spot at the bar, Bell frowned at the more experience Adventurer, his mind flashing to how he had almost killed the monster and had not needed saving. How just today he had killed four Minotaurs, which, as far as Bell knew, was pretty darn good for a Level 1 Adventurer!

"So, there's some little pansy running in the Dungeon, and this big ugly sucker starts chasing him, right. So Ais jumps in and cuts the thing to pieces, and the little wuss gets covered in blood. At this point, the dude is like some big old stupid tomato!" At this point in the Werewolf's story two of his companions, the two Amazons, have begun to chuckle at his words while the rest of the table stays completely silent. "And then check this out; then Tomato Guy runs away! The dumbass just up and ran away from the one who saved him!"

Crossing his legs on his chair, the silver-haired man began slapping his knee while letting loose great upheavals of laughter. "What a pathetic jackass!"

"That is not what Ais claims happened and I'm not so sure the boy can be blamed fo-" The green-haired she-elf was interrupted by an explosive and furious voice that echoed through the entire pub.

"Hey asshole, shut up! You should be telling stories when you obviously don't know the whole story!" Bell had leaped to his feet, pushing the stool he had been sitting on over, as he glared bloody murder at the Werewolf that had just spent the last five minutes making cruel jokes on his behalf. "Yes, Miss Ais killed the Minotaur, but she didn't need to! I was just about to kill the monster when she cut it open! So, whoever you are, you can shut the fuck up!"

The whole bar when silent as Bell glared at the werewolf with his hand on his sword's hilt. At first, the Loki Familia's Adventurer's eyes went wide in surprise, completely taken back that anyone who was so obviously of a low level would have the balls to stand up to him in such a fashion, but after the surprise wore off his wolfish-yellow eyes narrowed in anger.

"Oh ya, kid?" The Werewolf rapidly rose from his seat, also resulting in the furniture tumbling to the ground, and stalked towards Bell. "That's some big talk coming from a non-name brat from what has to be a no-name Familia. You got anything to back up your claim with?"

With a snarl, Bell pulled his backpack, that had been situated on the floor next to him, into his arms and began to rummage around inside the black sack. Moments later he pulled out two red horns that faintly glowed. At the sight of two of the Minotaur drop-item; Minotaur Horns, most eyes in the bar widened in disbelief. In the white-haired boy's hand, he held two items that, if sold to the Guild, could net the seller enough valis to live comfortably for two weeks.

"I think the four Minotaurs I killed earlier today are more than enough to back up my claim." Bell slammed his spoils of battle onto the bar countertop and smiled smugly at his verbal opponent's frown.

"Wow…" One of the Amazons, the one with short hair and a less vomitous frame, whistled as she looked at the drop-items. "You got two drop-items from only four Minotaurs? That is really lucky."

"Ya…ya!" A dark smile formed on the Werewolf's face as he mulled over the Amazon's comment. "It would be _if_ he is telling the truth. But we all know that no one is that lucky, I wonder where you really got those horns? I bet you just stole them!"

"I did not!" Bell, his eyes wide at the accusation, snarled at the man. "I have a skill that increases my chances of finding drop-items!"

As Bell finished shouting out his defense his eyes went wide again, and his hands shot up to cover his mouth.

"…I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

Yet despite Bell's whine, a lot of Adventurers were staring at Bell with a newfound interest. Some of them were just looking at him with mild curiosity, but many more were openly leering at the boy like he was the key to a giant cashe of treasure.

_Which isn't totally inaccurate._ Bell noted absently, thinking about the large cave of treasures he had left for his mother-figure.

"Fine then." Bell looked back at the silver-haired Werewolf who was now looking at him with a serious, if still slightly hazy from alcohol, expression. "I guess we'll just have to determine if you really are strong enough to kill one Minotaur, not to mention four."

"We're not going back to the Dungeon this late at night Bete." The green-haired elf scowled at her teammate.

"Who said anything about the Dungeon." The now named Bete smile savagely at Bell. "If we have a quick fight, I'm sure I'll be able to determine if the kid could handle a Minotaur or not."

"We are not challenging an unknown Familia to a War Game over your stupid views on strength and weakness, Bete Loga!" The same elf argued with even more vehemence.

"Who said anything about a War Game!" Bete laughed at his party member before turning to a nondescript man with dark maroon hair who was sitting at the bar while watching the drama. "Yo, Telnzen! You sill got an extra key to Ganesha's Colloseum?"

"Sure, I do Bete." The man responded with a small smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"I think me and the shrimp here," Bete's yellow eyes flickered to Bell before focusing back on his acquaintance, a wolfish smile adorning his lips. "We should go a few rounds in the arena. No deus allowed, this a matter between Adventurers and Adventurers only. You think you can get us in?"

"Oh, hell yes I can." Telnzen grinned at the Loki Familia Adventurer before addressing the still silent crowd in the pub. "Ya heard the man! In fifteen minuets Bete Loga will face off against… what's your name and Familia kid?"

"Bell Cranel of the Hestia Familia."

"Against Bell Cranel of the Hestia Familia! This an Adventurers only event, so that means leave your gods and goddesses out of it! For all you non-Adventurers present you have been warned; if you tell anyone who is not an Adventurer about the match, we will figure out who you are and visit some…harmless… retribution upon your asses!"

As the maroon-haired man lead a crowd of excited Adventurers out of the Hostess of Fertility, after paying their tabs, of course, Bete Loga smiled smugly at Bell Cranel. "What'ya say, kid? Do still think you have what it takes to prove that you are strong enough to prove to me that you killed four Minotaurs? You can run away if you want, you'll just be the laughingstock of Orario is you do."

Bell just scowled in response as stalked out the pub's doors while calling out. "I show you asshole, let's do this."

* * *

-Roughly the Same Time-

-I Am Ganesha 'Manor'-

Despite never being one of the more respected deus', and as such often being the subject of or the butt of other deus' jokes, Hestia had still always rather enjoyed attending the Feast of the Gods. It had always given her an excuse to wear her sole dress gown and meet up with the other gods and goddesses who she actually liked, like Hephaestus, Takemikazuchi, and Miach. It was also essentially an all you can eat buffet, and that had always been something Hestia enjoyed.

Now, however, she couldn't wait to leave. Not only did the goddess of the Hearth already miss her sole Child but looking around at the countless deities that were attending the gathering, in almost all of them Hestia could only see potential threats to hers and Bell's continued happiness. Amongst the gathered deus, Hestia knew far too many of them wouldn't hesitate to try and steal the sole member of her Familia away if they ever learned of just how much raw potential her Bell had, or if they learned he had entered an Aberrant Dungeon and lived.

Yet despite her misgivings about being here, Hestia was a goddess on a mission. She may not be the most reliable deus in regards to providing home and sustenance to her Child, something that, as a goddess of Hearth, Home, and Family, **Tore at her soul**, but she would do anything to help her Child survive the dangers of the Great Dungeon, and her mission reflected that fact. For Bell's sake, she would stomach the thinly veiled insults, she would put up with Loki's nauseating personality, and she wouldn't flee from Freya's predatory aura. She would even get on her hands and knees, lower her head to dust the filthy floor and she would grovel before one of her closest deus friends. For Bell's sake, she would beg and plead at her friend's feet, all for a boon that she wouldn't be able to repay until centuries after her current only Blessed Child succumbed to the whims of time.

It was that stubbornness that brought her to this point; sitting on her knees on the floor of Hephaestus' personal office with the goddess of the Forge staring down at her from where she was leaning against her desk. The look her friend was giving her wasn't one of pure annoyance but there were hints of the emotion in Hephaestus' uncovered red eye. Instead, from what Hestia knew of her friend (and she knew a lot, probably more than Hephaestus even suspected she knew), the look the goddess of the Forge was giving her was similar to how she looked at a weapon she had never seen before; Hephaestus was studying Hestia, trying to understand her goal and motives.

"Ok, Hestia." The goddess of the forge sighed as she finally gave up trying to read Hestia like a book (or in this case, like a piece of hammered steelwork). "What is it that you want? Even when you left my place, you didn't seem this desperate."

"Hephaestus, I never told you that I finally got my first Familia member, did I?" Hestia rested her hands on her thighs in a manner she had seen her other deus friend Take take before. "His name is Bell and, because of his white hair and red eyes and innocent face, I'm sure you'll see him running around Orario one of these days."

"Actually…" Hephaestus raised her left hand to her chin and cupped it as she thought. "I think I've seen a boy matching that description a few times when I went out to walk the streets for fresh air. He doesn't look all that old, he's not exploring the Dungeon alone is he? Even on the first few floors, it can be dangerous for newbie Adventurers to explore alone."

"He does exactly that." Hestia smiled sadly at her oldest friend, causing the other goddess to narrow her eye and frown. "My Bell, he is courageous and ambitious. He is very powerful compared to other Adventurers who have only had the Blessing for a month, and he is extremely… gifted and suited for exploring the Great Dungeon. He's also very kind with a big heart and he cares deeply for all those that are precious to him."

Taking a deep breath Hestia's azure orbs bore into Hephaestus' uncovered eye.

"And I'm terrified that someday he'll enter the Dungeon and never return." With how fast Hestia's head rocketed towards the floor it was a wonder she didn't bruise her forehead against the office's hardwood floor, carpeted or not. "That is why I'm begging you Hephaestus, please, would you make a weapon for my only Child?"

By the end of her request, Hestia once again was touching the floor with her forehead, bowing as far as she possibly could.

"Hestia, do you understand what you're asking me to do for you?" Hephaestus closed her eye and used one hand to rub the bridge of her nose. "I don't have my Arcana in this form, and I refuse to make any weapon less than perfect. Without my Arcana making weapons of a quality I'm proud of is extremely difficult and expensive. If I make a weapon for your Child you will be in serious debt to me, and I will make you pay me back. You; not your Familia and not your Child, just you."

"I understand that Hephaestus." Hesta continued to bow before her friend. "And I don't care how long I have to work in order to repay you for your work. All I care about is that I do something to help Bell always return to me from the Dungeon."

Hestia, still groveling as low as she could, shifted her bowed head slightly so one of her azure eyes could gaze up into goddess of the Forge's pinkish orb.

"You know what it is like Hephaestus, to watch your Children set on their dangerous paths, but you can also help them when they ask for help and when they don't. Bell is the only Child I have, and I just want him to have the best chance at always coming home safe!"

With tears of frustration forming around her eyes Hestia resumed staring at the ground.

"Begging to you for help is all I can do Hephaestus. It is all this good-for-nothing penniless goddess can do on behalf of her Child. So, I beg you, please make Bell a weapon for me."

For almost five minutes Hephaestus stared down at her oldest friend from the Heavenly Realm. While Hestia had munched off her, and her Familia, for a long time after the goddess of the Hearth had descended to the Lower Realm, Hephaestus had felt horrible when she 'kicked' the petite goddess out of her abode, despite having more than enough cause to do so. In the end, the reason Hestia had left to live in a run-down church was because Hephaestus' Familia was beginning to get annoyed that they were paying for the relaxing life of the virgin goddess. When confronted with that resentment, Hestia, being a goddess of the very concept of Family, refused to drive a wedge between Hephaestus, who would have stood up for the goddess of the Hearth, and her Familia, and proposed that Hephaestus 'kick' her out to placate her Children. It was one of the most emotionally taxing things the goddess of the Forge had ever done since leaving the Heavens, because the entire time she was doing so she continuously recalled how, when most of her divine family had shunned her for her 'disfigurement' Hestia had always been by Hephaestus' side with loving words and an encouraging smile. The goddess of the Hearth had been a pillar of support for the goddess of the Forge in her most trying time.

Hestia had supported Hephaestus when her own family had turned against her. It was something Hephaestus would never forget. Really there was only ever one answer to Hestia's request.

"You do know that weapons personally made by me usually cost at least 200,000,000 valis, right?" Hephaestus cautioned, but by the tome of her voice, it was obvious the warning was an empty gesture.

"200,000,000 valis!" Empty gesture or not, the sheer size of the price was still enough to make Hestia wince in pain for her future. Yet it was not enough to deter her. "Please Hephaestus, I don't care how long I have to work to repay you, just help me help Bell."

"Fine." The goddess of the Forge sighed with a barely perceivable fond smile. "I'll make your Child a weapon. What kind does he use?"

As soon as Hephaestus had accepted, Hestia leaped to her feet and tried to smother her friend with a big hug. Tried being the apt word, because her small stature left her hugging only Hephaestus waist.

"Thank you so much, Hephaestus! Bell uses both daggers and swords, but his sword is of surprisingly high quality and has sentimental value so could you make him a knife?"

"We."

"We?"

"We will make him a knife. If I'm going to make your precious Child a weapon to help him survive no matter the situation, you are going to have to help me make it."

Briefly, Hestia looked up at her friend with a confused frown, that is until the underlying message of what Hephaestus was saying registered in the short goddess' head. 'If you want Bell to get the type of weapon you are envisioning, you will need to help.' Then a look of hard determination formed on the goddess of the Hearth's ever-young face.

"Alright! I'll do whatever it takes!"

"Excellent." With a grin, Hephaestus turned on her heel and pulled a forging hammer adorned with a sparkling purple gem from one of her study's display cases. After which she pulled a secret lever behind one of the room's candles, opening a secret passage to her real workshop full of her real tools, and she motioned for her friend to follow her as she descended down the passageway's stairs.

It was time for the goddess of the Forge to create a weapon worthy of a Hero yet again, only this time the goddess of the Hearth would be helping.

* * *

**A.N: So what do you all think. A few of yall's review made me realize that it was about time to tell cannon to take a hike, at least temporarily, so that is what I'm doing. Who among you foresaw Bell actually standing up for himself? Either way, the next chapter will involve a lengthy and exciting (at least I hope) fight scene between Bete and Bell, and I hope you look forward to it.**

**Now on to a different subject, I had the idea a few weeks ago to make a Heroic Tale of Prince Arslan and Magi crossover that follows a similar vein to this story. Prince Arslan and Daryun get pulled into a Djinn's Dungeon and after they get out Arlsan is now the wielder of a powerful Metal Vessel that houses the incredible powers of a Djinn. (The reason it is Arslan instead of Daryun who is the King Vessel is because there is no way a man as loyal as Daryun would even consider accepting the Title, especially when Arslan is right there with him).**

**I was thinking of starting off Arslan with a fire Djinn, I'll let yall guess which one, but over time he would get more. I've got a rough outline on how the first dozen chapters would go written out, and I've an nebulous idea on what the late of the story would be like, but I would like to know if any of you's are interested in the idea.**

**Prince Arslan and the Djinn [Working Title]: Ya or Nay?**

**This is Glader saying; peace out!**


	5. Chapter 5: Familia Part 3

Chapter 4: Familia Part 3

-_Iron Horn Bar_, North-Western Orario-

Within a small hole-in-the-wall establishment, two aged Adventurers slammed their respective mugs of half-consumed ale into the bar counter they were seated in front. The two aged and greying friends were catching up after nearly six years of separation.

One of them, a Human man wearing an eyepatch over his left eye and who only had grey hair around the crown of his head had been on a three-year-long quest outside or Orario while the three years before that had been too… hectic to stay in regular contact with anybody. The other Adventurer on the other hand, an aged Dwarven man with short, close-cropped grey hair and a fierce grey beard, had spent his last six years trying to establish a semi-stable supply train from Rivira to the Orario but had ultimately come to the conclusion that he would need to begin and oversee his endeavors from the surface and so finally resurfaced from the Great Dungeon.

When the man with the eye-patch, who had just returned to Orario a week before, had seen his old dwarven friend walk out the Dungeon Entrance while he was getting a breath of fresh air, the older Human had waved down his friend and all but dragged the Dwarf to their old haunt and two had been chatting ever since.

They had chatted about each of their respective Familia and how they were fairing, compared feats of battle and the foes they had each faced, they had toasted fallen friends and Familia members, they spoke about the currently growing generation of Adventurers, and they spoke about their respective endeavors as Adventurers.

"I just need to think of another way to make my supply-chain from here to Rivira seem more rewarding to younger Adventurers. There is no way that a business like the one I'm trying to make could afford to pay a dozen Adventurers to lug regular shipments of supplies from Orario to Rivira. There needs to be something else in it for the lads and lasses that sign on with me idea."

"Hmmm…" The one-eyed man hummed to himself in thought as he swirled the amber-colored liquid in his mug. "I can't say that I really got a head for this whole 'entrepreneur' thing, but couldn't you advertise the experience to the younger Adventurers? As long as you have a few more experienced and higher-leveled folk on your roster then you can have one of them accompany a group of less experienced Adventurers and promote it as a good way for them to gain experience. Maybe?"

For a moment the Dwarven Adventurer just stared at his old friend with wide eyes and an open mouth, then he began to bust his gut laughing as he slammed his fist into the bar countertop.

"Why didn't I think of that? By the gods man, you are a genius!" The Dwarf exclaimed as he slapped his friend's shoulder. "With how many young Adventurers need advice from those with more experience, I have no doubt that youngsters from smaller Familias will jump at the opportunity to explore the Dungeon with older Adventurers with more experience!"

With a wide grin, the Dwarf raised his mug to his face and downed the rest of its amber contents. All the while only raising an eyebrow in interest when a young-man in dark-brown leather armor busted through the small bar's wooden door to whisper a few words into the one-eyed Adventurer's ear before departing. Then, as the Dwarf lowered his now empty mug, the human Adventurer copied his Dwarven friend and raised his mug to his face to drain its contents.

"So… um, what was that?" The Dwarf questioned his friend after the man had emptied his mug.

"Oh, that?" The older human grinned at his friend. "That's one of the newbies of my new Familia. Him and me have a deal; he does as I say, and I take him under my wing."

"So, he's your gofer?"

"Ha! Never thought of it that way but pretty much!"

"So…" The Dwarf eyed his friend who suddenly seemed a bit more energetic. "What did your little protégée just tell you? Whatever it was it seems to have caught your interest."

"_Atheos Agria Pali._" The human grinned at his companion who, after hearing the phrase, grinned back. "We both have been gone from Orario for quite a while, so how 'bout we go and watch ourselves a good-ole Godless Bout?"

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world." The Dwarven Adventurer leaped up from his stool after slamming down some valis on the bar counter. "So, who's fighting and where?"

"Oh, some no-name from the Hestia Familia and Bete Loga from Loki's Familia, at the Ganesha Colosseum." The one-eyed man dropped some valis onto the counter before leading his friend out of the bar. "While it is obvious who will win, it should be a good reintroduction into _Adventurer's Culture_."

As the two aged Adventurers walked off into the night laughing, neither of them noticed the old, bespectacled bartender quickly round his bar counter to flip the sign in his establishment's window from 'Open' to 'Closed'. Then, after swiping the valis his last two customers had left him, he exited his small bar, locked the door, and began to his trek towards the Ganesha Colosseum. The ancient man who had once been an Adventurer may have given up on exploring the Dungeon, but some parts of the _Adventurer's Culture_ were impossible for him to ignore.

\- Palum Hidden Tavern, Undisclosed Location Within Orario –

Within a small bar hidden to all but the smallest of Orario's inhabitance, a short girl with auburn hair, brown eyes, and a slim figure hidden underneath a white trench-coat watched with narrowed eyes as a fellow Palum, one just a few years older than her, rushed into her favorite (and only) haunt to whisper a few hurried words to the establishment's owner. The shrewd female Palum watched curiously as the Secret Bar's Owner widened his aged eyes when whatever the younger Palum reached his ears. Then, as the young Pallum exited the bar, the older man just went back to cleaning glasses as if the interaction had never happened.

"Hey, old man." The teen Pallum dressed in white caught the older Pallum's attention. "What was that just now?"

"With your aversion to Adventurers, I doubt the news I just got would interest you, Lili." The older man answered her only for his right eye to twitch when she began to stare intently at him. The older Palum managed to ignore the girl for a short while before he finally gave up. "Fine Lililuca, I'll tell you, just stop glaring at me. I don't plan on going to watch, but that young man just told me that there will be an _Atheos Agria Pali_ in the Ganesha Colosseum in a few minutes."

"Hmm… A Godless Fight hugh?" Lili raised her hand to her chin and stared up at the ceiling in thought. "While I would rather avoid any more Adventurer nonsense, I could probably find a good mark at an _Atheos Agria Pali_, so I guess I go watch."

"Just watch your back Liliruca Arde. Triking Adventurers is a dangerous business. Trust me, as one of the members of my Familia that used to deal with troublemakers like yourself, I would know that fact better than anyone."

"Don't worry about me old man." Liliruca Arde gave the old bartender a grave smile. "All I need is a few more good scores then I'll be out of this shity business for good."

With a determined glint in her eyes Liliruca Arde, Supporter and thief extraordinaire, walked out of the Palum Hidden Tavern. In her mind, she was hoping that at this event she would find a young and naïve Adventurer to chose as her next mark, and she was hoping that her next mark would have enough money for her to steal to finally secure her freedom from her horrible Familia.

\- _The Goddess' Embrace_, Orario's Entertainment District -

Aisha Belka, an Amazonian Berbera, and prostitute of the Ishtar Familia, was ecstatic when she got word that an _Atheos Agria Pali_ had caught her next client's attention and he had canceled his next session with her. While the man was a loyal customer who continuously returned to the _Goddess' Embrace_ almost exclusively for her company, he was also a fat slob with far more hair than Aisha looked for on a man, not to mention the man was as unbearably crude and boastful. In the young Amazon's opinion, her regular was almost a male version of her Familia Captain, only lacking in the murderous urges department.

Aisha only hoped that when she got to the Ganesha Colosseum her regular didn't catch sight of her also in the crowd. Then her nice night of indulging in the _Adventurer's Culture_ would be ruined by his hairy face.

"Belka, where do you think you are going?" A dark and sensual voice cut through the noise of the Amazon's thoughts and froze her body before she could leave the brothel's front door. "Don't you have a client scheduled in a few minutes?"

Turning around the busty Amazon smiled hollowly at Ishtar, her patron goddess.

"That client canceled on me, my goddess." Aisha tried not to sweat when the deus' gaze sharpened into a glare. "It didn't have anything to do with me. It's just that there is an _Adventurer's Culture_ event about to happen that caught his interest instead. In fact, that was where I was about to go."

"You Adventurers and your little secret society." Ishtar's glare subsided and she turned her back to her Blessed child dismissively. "Very well then, say no more. There is no way in Hell that I want to end up like that idiot Marduk, so I won't pry further. Just be sure to continue to do your job Belka."

With her piece said, the goddess of War and Love left the Level 3 Amazon alone, prompting the young woman to hurriedly vacate the brothel's premises out of fear of her goddess turning around and changing her mind.

* * *

_~An Excerpt from the Report on the Death of God Marduk~_

_On [REDACTED], god Marduk was found dead in an alleyway two miles south of Babel Tower. The cause of Lord Marduk's abrupt return to Heaven at midnight on [REDACTED] was a sudden and severe blunt-force trauma to the back of the god's neck as a result of him falling down the seven flights of stairs that lead up and down the alley. Yet despite the seemingly natural cause of death, evidence found at the scene of the crime suggests that __someone__ was responsible for Lord Marduk's passing._

_The large-size footprints found at the scene suggest that the perpetrator was a fully matured male who weighed at least 220 pounds. Further investigations of the scene also revealed that magic, particularly wind magic, was used in the area at around the time of Lord Marduk's death, making it likely that the assailant used magic to push the god into falling down the stairway and thus killing him._

_After close interviews with Lord Marduk's Familia, close acquaintances, and fellow deus it was determined that god Marduk, while considered everything between "an annoying goody-two-shoes" to "a stubborn jackass obsessed with rules", was not disliked enough to be targeted by a killer for old grudges. With this fact assumed, investigators focused their efforts on what Lord Marduk began working on five months before his death._

_God Marduk, a strict proponent of harshly enforced Law and Order in Orario, had managed to learn about what is known as the_ Adventurer's Culture_ from one of his Familia members. After doing so the god began to do all in his power to crack down on all parts of Adventurer life in Orario that pertained to the _Adventurer's Culture_, all while loudly proclaiming at the major deus gatherings that he was working on "…Snuffing out the barbaric ideology that our Children follow when we are not around."_

_After his announcement became known across the city multiple incidents involving Lord Marduk and Adventurers of multiple Familias happened frequently and with escalating amounts of violence. Then, five months later, god Marduk was found dead. It should be noted that one of the Adventurers almost always involved in the incidents that involved Marduk; one Evet Eargenson of the Thor Familia, is reported to know an powerful wind spell with a short incantation that could, in theory, not shoot a spike of compressed wind to gore into a target but instead just make a target stumble just a few feet in the direction opposite to where they were hit, and that Eargenson's characteristics match that of Lord Marduk's suspected killer._

_However, all the recorded evidence on Adventurer Eargenson is just circumstantial and it is of the opinion of this Guild Special Investigations Agent that there is too little evidence to find the culprit of Lord Marduk's murder with enough certainty._

_ Signed; Agent Alexi Arendover, Level 5, Senior GSI._

* * *

_~An Excerpt from an Interview with God Toth on the death of God Marduk~_

… _I think it is painfully obvious what happened to Marduk. The idiot got it into his head that he could force Adventurers to give up their old traditions, rites, and events, and that doing so would somehow make Orario a more orderly place to live. And mind you that these are the practices that Adventurers of Orario began to develop almost immediately after us deus descended from the Heavens which means they are __**old**__._

_And as things are when traditions are involved, people get mad when you try to take them away from the people that hold them close. So, by declaring war against the shared culture of the Adventurers of Orario, by trying to take away the _Adventurer's Culture_ from one of the biggest populations in one of the world's biggest cities, Marduk made himself the enemy off nearly all the Adventurers of the Dungeon City. While I am surprised that any Adventurer would have the audacity to kill a deus' mortal coil, it does not surprise me that Marduk was the one that died._

_Now then, on the subject of the investigation into Marduk's death… I think it is obvious that the __Adventurers__ investigating the death of a god that was openly opposing their traditions probably skewed the investigation to keep their fellows from being discovered. That is, however, all I will say on the matter as I have no personal stakes in Marduk's killer being brought to justice._

* * *

\- Ganesha Colosseum

Bell Cranel's jaw dropped when he was led by Bete Loga and the Werewolf's acquaintance Telnzen into the wide arena of the Ganesha Familia Coliseum. The entire structure was being illuminated, not by firelight, but by magic lights that hung enchantingly high above the middle of the arena like a giant chandelier and the full moon that hung solemnly above. And because of the light Bell could see that in the Coliseum's stands were not only the crowd from the tavern that had witnessed the challenge but a crowd of thousands of other Adventurers who had somehow heard word of the duel.

The huge horde of loud men and women had begun cheering and jeering the moment Bell and Bete had entered the main arena, and the white-haired teen could just make out what looked like a pair of redheads jostling about the mob to take bets.

"What is this?" Bell whispered the question to himself, but apparently the Werewolf that was watching him with smug yellow eyes heard the rhetorical question and let out a derisive snort in response.

"What's the matter Shrimp? Didn't anyone educate you on what an _Atheos Agria Pali_ is?" Bete let out another snort, this one more genuine as if an amusing idea had just popped into his head. "Or are you such a little bitch that none of the older members of your Familia wanted to inform your dumb ass about _Adventurer's Culture_?"

"No," Bell growled as he glared at the Loki Familia Adventurer. "I'm the only Adventurer of the Hestia Familia. No one taught me how to fight or what is expected of me other than the obvious, and there is no one to teach me what your stupid _Adventurer's Culture_ is. It's just me and my goddess, I was the first person to accept her Blessing, and I don't mind that at all."

"Hahahahaha!" Bete Loga's knees buckled as he began laughing, dropping to his knees as he tried to control his mirth. "So, your deus is not only some no-name loser, but she is also one that couldn't even recruit some poor sap before you came along? Ha! I really can't tell which one of you two are more pathetic You; for accepting the Falna of some bum deus, or your goddess; for being immortal and yet being such a failure that she couldn't get an Adventurer before you? Either way, it is hilarious for me."

While quite a few of the spectators glared at the Loki Familia Adventurer and those that followed his lead, a large portion of the crowd in the Coliseum's stands laughed at the white-haired boy whose hair had fallen to cover his eyes when the Werewolf began to insult his deus. Yet despite the fury burning in Bell's crimson orbs, the young Adventurer didn't respond to Bete, instead turning to Telnzen who had remained in the arena to arbitrate the event and who had been failing to control his laughter by covering his mouth.

"Hey, you." Telnzen instantly ceased laughing when he felt dread crawl up his spine as the white-haired Adventurer addressed him. Unlike Bete, Telnzen was no highly talented Level 5 who could shrug off the spite of all but the strongest of opponents. No, Telnzen was only a Level 3 who was unlikely to ever advance past his current Level and when Bell's voice, filled with promises of hurt and brimming with **Wrath**, had been directed his way he had immediately been put on guard. "This Atheos-thing, when does it start, or are we just going to talk this entire time?"

"So ya really haven't ever heard of _Atheos Agria Pali_?" For the life of him, Telnzen could not even try to crack a smile at Bell's expense while the boy was looking at him with his haunting-red eyes. "Well, no matter. To tell ya the truth, the event has already begun. It's just normal for two Adventurers competing in an _Atheos Agria Pali_ to trade some mocking words before they get down to fighting."

"So, I can just get on with this and begin the fight?"

"Well ya. But normally guys put in your shoes would at least try to insult Bete back."

"I think I'll let my actions speak for me." Bell smiled wickedly as he slowly drew his sword from his sheath and pointed the blade at Bete Loga. Seeing that some actual violence was about to begin Telnzen took a few hasty steps back from the dueling duo, all the while Bete merely opened one yellow eye to watch Bell while he continued to chuckle. In the stands the noisy crowd mostly quieted down.

"**Bararaq!**"

Suddenly what noise still echoed in the stadium was completely drowned out by the sound of thunder and the mob of Adventurers watched with wide eyes as Bete Loga, a Level 5 Adventurer of the Loki Familia, was launched onto his back when a bolt of blue lightning flashed from the sky behind Bell's back, rocketed over his right shoulder, and struck the Werewolf square in the chest exactly where his armored vest failed to protect him.

For a moment silence resounded through the entire Coliseum, the crowd of Adventurers in the stands trying and failing to understand what had just happened with their mouths collectively agape. Then;

"What?!" "What the Hell?!" "What just happened?!" "Holy Shit!" "By the gods!"

Almost in unison, the stands erupted into exclamations of shock and surprise. Eyes went wide, fists slammed into the stone of the Coliseum, and tempers flared as men and women alike reacted in a frenzy to the unexpected turn of events. And, above it all the shouting of a single Adventurer could be heard over all the ruckus.

"What the Fuck was that!" Bete Loga snarled as he rocked himself back to his feet, his eyes glaring daggers at the younger Adventurer who had launched him onto his ass. "Did you just hit me with lightning?!"

In response, Bell just smirked at the Loki Familia Adventurer while he directed magoi into his Metal Vessel causing it to crackle with electricity.

"Well, well." The Werewolf grinned dangerously at his opponent. "This might actually be kind of fun!"

With savage glee, Bete lowered his center of gravity and sprinted towards Bell, who replied with the only attack he knew that could hurt an Adventurer with a higher level than him.

"**Bararaq!**"

Again, a streak of lightning tore from the sky and rocketed towards the advancing Werewolf, but Bete Loga wasn't called a High-Class Adventurer for nothing. Despite only experiencing the powerful lightning spell once, Bete managed to dodge out of the path of Nature's Wrath and keep charging at Bell.

"Shit!" Bell cursed as he took a hasty step back, one that did the young man little good as his opponent still got within striking distance within seconds.

"Don't tell me you only have that one spell." Bete's smirking face was within inches of Bell, their noses almost touching when Bell experienced what felt like a hammer being shoved into his gut as Bete dug his fist into the younger boy's stomach and launched him backward. The King Vessel flew through the air for a good ten feet before his back hit the sandy ground again only to skid across the arena floor for another five feet, his landing letting loose a cloud of dusty dirt.

With a groan Bell struggled back to his feet, his chest throbbing from pain, his back now bleeding from being used as a sled and arena dirt now making his eyes water. Yet despite the deliberating hit, the Hestia Familia Adventurer just gritted his teeth and shifted into a balanced fighting stance, ready for his opponent's next move.

_He's so fast and strong! _Bell's mind raced to concoct a plan to use against his opponent. _With speed and power like that there is no way I can even hope to face Bete in close combat. I need to surprise him again, get him on the defensive, and then keep hammering him with Bararaq. But he knows how to dodge Bararaq now, so I need something else to surprise him with and the only other spell I know is…_

As his thoughts trailed off a small smile worked its way onto Bell's face as a plan began to form in his head. A smile that only grew slightly when Bete Loga, who had grown annoyed waiting for Bell to cross through the cloud of debris, charged through the cloud towards Bell. In this instance, Bete's speed had worked against him by displacing the dirt cloud and allowing Bell to have an easier time to follow the werewolf with his eyes as he approached. With the extra time to focus on his opponent, Bell managed to just notice the tensing of Bete's right shoulder and the shift of the silver-haired teen's orange eyes as they focused on Bell's right shoulder.

With only ten feet of space separating the two combatants, Bell focused completely on the maneuver he was about to attempt. Everything in his head; all his worries, his thoughts, and his feeling fell away as he imagined himself as lightning. Lightning that ignored everything around it as it struck in exactly the way it intended.

And, when Bete was within three feet of Bell and his right fist was rocketing towards Bell's right shoulder, Bell **struck**. The white-haired boy turned his body ever so slightly and just at the right moment as to have Bete's fist past right by his face, while at the same time he raised his sword to the sky and spoke the first half of the two-part spell that Baal had taught him so that he could at least use some aspect of his power while in the Great Dungeon.

* * *

-Months Earlier, on the road to Orario-

"Bell." Bell looked down at his sword when the Djinn that had empowered the weapon called out to get his attention. "There are some facts about this next spell you are about to learn that you should be apprised of before I impart the knowledge to you. First; what I am about to teach you is, in reality, two spells that work together to form one offensive technique. Second; this is less of a fully developed spell of mine and more akin to patchwork spell duo made out of different aspects of some of my more powerful abilities that I hammered together after you informed me that the Great Dungeon leads so deeply underground. Third; this spell will be significantly less powerful than even your basic Bararaq but as it is two spells instead of one will require more magoi than said spell. Do you understand?"

With a frown on his young face, Bell nodded and transmitted his confirmation to his Djinn through their link, thus prompting the spirit to continue his lesson.

"The first spell of this attack performs similarly to Bararaq, but instead calls down lightning to strike your sword in a way that is not dissimilar to when you absorb magoi from a storm. This lightning is then stored in my Metal Vessel and can remain stored in your sword for up to a week with the disadvantage of keeping the charge longer than a day being that the result of the second spell will be continuously less powerful for every day the lightning is stored. As for the second spell, all it does is release the lightning stored in the sword in any direction it is pointed."

"I think I understand Baal." Bell furloughed his brow as he considered what his Djinn was telling him. "So, with this technique, I could store some lightning in my sword before I head into the Dungeon and, if I needed it, I could release the lightning if any monsters were giving me a hard time. But doesn't that also mean that I won't be able to use the technique again until I return to the surface?"

"That is exactly right my young but wise master." Bell smiled slightly to himself when he heard the barest hints of warmth in his Djinn's usually stoic tone. "You will only be able to use this technique once after you have entered the Great Dungeon, but in a life or death battle, such a trump card could snatch the prize of victory from the jaws of defeat. Now, are you ready for the spell words?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Very well then. The first spell is…"

* * *

"**Bararaq Alshun!**"

"Fuck!" With the curse escaping his lips Bete Loga leaped a few feet away from his shorter opponent while his eyes moved back and forth across the sky in hopes of seeing the magic lighting before it began its descent towards him.

That was, however, just the response Bell was expecting from the werewolf who couldn't know the true aim of the spell and so when the lightning Bell called down struck his sword instead of trying to strike Bete, the white-haired boy couldn't see the werewolf's face but he could guess that the expression was one of surprise. The Loki Familia Adventurer tried to regain the distance he had given up in a misguided attempt to dodge, yet his efforts came too late as Bell lowered his sword and pointed it towards Bete while announcing spell words of the second half of the technique.

"**Bararaq Idrab!**"

Again, the sound of thunder echoed throughout the Colosseum and lightning flashed, however, this time the lightning came from Bell's sword and soared through the few feet that separated him from his opponent to strike Bete Loga once more in the chest where his jacket failed to protect him.

The Loki Familia Adventurer was pushed back around fifteen feet, his armored boots digging two large gashes into the arena's floor as he struggled to keep himself from falling onto his back. As the werewolf's momentum finally bled out the elder combatant glared balefully into Bell's red eyes before taking a moment to check the twice aggravated wound that peaked out from underneath his armored jacket. And, quite the wound it was.

While Bete hadn't noticed it before, Bell's first spell had left a small lightning-induced scar in the center of his chest that spread out in a pattern, not unlike that of tree branches. It was a small scar however; Bete's inner magical power working in tandem with his body to repel the foreign magic before it could seriously damage the young man, but the same instinctive approach did not work nearly as well when the **second** lightning spell had invaded Bete's body through the same spot the first had weakened. After being hit with the second lightning bolt the scar on Bete's chest had grown exponentially. The once small and branching scar tissue now looked like just the top of a great bending tree-shaped scar that extended all the way down his abs and even below his pant-line.

For a moment silence once again reigned throughout the Colosseum as Bete's slit orange orbs raised from his new scar tissue to bore into Bell's narrowed blood-colored orbs before a wide smile stretched across his face.

"I take it back." Bete's words echoed through the silent stadium, surprising both the audience and his opponent.

"Huh?" Was Bell's intelligent reply as his white eyebrows hiked up.

"I take my words back." Bete grinned at his young opponent whom he had thought to be a weakling and fraud. "You're definitely strong enough to take on four Minotaurs. There is no disputing that, so I apologize for doubting your strength. That being said, are you sure you're a Level 1? That first lightning spell you hit me with was far beyond the capabilities of any spell a normal Level 1 should be able to use."

By the end of Bete's declaration and question, the cloud of anger that had been buzzing about Bell's head finally dissipated and for the first time since he left The Hostess of Fertility Bell considered what the consequences of his actions might result in. Here he was, surrounded on all sides by Adventures with stats that likely far exceeded his own, actually standing his ground against someone who was one of Orario's up-and-coming top-ranked Adventurers while using powers that both the spirit in his head and his goddess had warned him against using in public. Almost immediately Bell began to sweat visibly, and his eyes widened as they shifted across the rows of Adventurers who were focused on him, waiting for his answer.

Naturally Bell, as a young man with so much experience in instances like this, easily hid his wild emotions behind a charming smile and prepared in his mind the lie of the century that would effortlessly trick the entire crowd.

…

…

Or at least that was what the young King Vessel wished would have happened. In reality, a panic unlike any other griped Bell, causing him to blurt out the first thing that crossed his mind.

"I'm sorry! But my goddess told me not to tell anyone! She's afraid that if any other deus learn of my they will try to take me from her, and I don't want that to happen either!"

As Bell was letting out his word-vomit he also began to hastily bow, first to Bete and then to the crowd in every direction. Eventually, the constant turning, and bow caught up to Bell's equilibrium and the only reason he didn't fall onto his ass was that Bete had crossed the distance between them and put a hand onto the younger boy's shoulder to help steady him. When Bell's eyes eventually stopped spinning and seeing stars, they almost had no choice but to lock with Bete's orange orbs.

"Say, shrimp?" Despite Bete's continued use of the moniker, this time Bell felt no negativity behind the nickname, in fact, he only felt a slight fondness. "You said that you were the only Adventurer in your Familia, right?"

With a confused frown, Bell nodded his confirmation to the elder teen.

"So, does that mean that you don't know about our ways?" Bete's frown grew a little bit more severe. "Of the traditions that most Adventurers follow that date back to the time of the god's decent? Or the little rituals and celebrations that were popularized by some of the most important Adventurers in history? Do you even know the name of the event you agreed to participate in when you agreed to fight me in this Colosseum without the eyes of the deus upon us, an event that was popularized by the Mercenary King himself?"

"Um… no." Bell shifted his gaze to his booted feet in embarrassment as he began to fidget and dig his right foot into the loose soil.

Bete was momentarily left completely speechless at Bell's admission, but his silence quickly disappeared when he began to laugh uncontrollably. His laughing rocked his bady so much that Bell had to keep a hold on the werewolf's shoulder to keep the older teen from fall to his side by laughing so hard. Though, to Bell's relief, Bete's reaction to the admission was the only one quite so severe even if much of the crowd was laughing or chuckling as well.

"Kid." Bete, after he finished recovering from his laughing fit, addressed Bell once more. "Your skill that increases the chance of finding drop items must also give you quite the boost in luck as well. Because for you to have made it so long without pissing off every veteran Adventurer you've met is nothing short of a miracle."

"Really?!" Bell's already wide eyes widened even further as Bete and a large portion of the crowd nod in confirmation. "Crap, that's not good… Do you think you-"

"~Hell no~." Bete's grin grew as Bell's fledgling hope was burst and the boy visibly deflated. "You're gonna need to find someone else to babysit you and fill that thick, white-covered noggin of yours. What I will tell ya is that this little fight of ours is an event called an _Atheos Agria Pali,_ which is basically gibberish for a wild fight without gods. No deus are allowed to watch us and all the Adventurers here are expected to keep their mouths shut on anything they see here. The only exception to that last rule is if ya start showing off your spells out for everyone to see and deus learn about you from that. If that happens then this lot is free to tell their deities about what they saw here. So, if you're careful with how ya use your power out there," Bete pointed in the direction of the area's entrance to motion for the rest of the city. "Then you and your goddess should have no problem with any other deus. Now spill; where'd ya learn such a powerful spell?"

"But how are you sure that they won't tell?" Bell fretted as his eyes glancing around at the mass of Adventurers, many of which were wearing frowns that showed their annoyance at either the young man's question or at the general length of the impromptu intermission of the fight. Bete, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes.

"Kid, us Adventurers police ourselves. If anyone in this crowd rats on his comrades, then one of us will eventually find out and when we do that rat will not like the consequences. Now just spill it; I won't ask again."

"Ok." Bell didn't stop frowning but ultimately decided to reveal to Bete the partial truth that Baal and goddess Hestia had instructed him to use if his talents were ever found out. "The truth is that I was blessed by a powerful nature Spirit not long after I left my hometown. It was a Lightning Spirit and it gave me some of its power because I impressed it by surviving a dangerous series of events. To tell you the truth, I'm still learning how to use the power it gifted me and I'm not all that good at it yet, but I've been practicing when I can. Though to keep that training a secret I have to either wait for when it rains and constantly move around the city to avoid being recognized, or I have to leave the city and hike a few miles away."

"Well isn't that interesting." Bete's smile turned into a pensive frown. "That would make you the second exceptional Adventurer I've met that has some sort of connection to a powerful Spirit. It's just an interesting coincidence."

"Really!?" Bell's mouth opened wide as he took in the thought of meeting another King Vessel like himself. "Who is it? Can you tell me? Have I heard of them before?"

"Heard of them?" Bete stifled a chuckle at Bell's question. "You've met her. Aiz's mother was some sort of crazy Wind Spirit, making that girl an even bigger badass then she would have been as a normal Adventurer."

"Oh, wow." While Bell felt slightly disappointed that he wasn't about to meet another person like him, the information about his new idol easily made up for the feeling if the red in his cheeks were anything to go by. "I had no idea Ms. Wallenstein had such an interesting family."

For a moment Bete just looked at Bell intently before he let out a snort of laughter. "Heh. Ya, an interesting family. Anyw-"

"Ahem!" An aggravated and fake throat-clearing cut off Bete and drew the attention of both of the Adventurers who were supposed to be fighting. Startled, Bell jerked his neck to look at the source of the noise while Bete, aggravated by the interruption, slowly turned his neck to look at who had interrupted him.

"Don't look at me like that Loga." Telnzen snarled at the Werewolf glaring at him while he tried to hide how clammy his skin had gotten just from the young man's glare. "I'm doing this for the wellbeing of all the Adventurers here tonight. We don't have all night and the longer the two of ya talk out your differences the more likely we get caught by some noisy deus and need to call in _that guy_ to clean up our mess. I doubt ya want that to happen so shut your yap and finish this thing already."

"Fine Telnzen," Bete growled at his acquaintance before turning back to address Bell. "Tell me Shrimp, have you shown me everything you have? If you have then I can guarantee that you will never be able to get that person on your mind to notice you as anything other than someone she has to keep a protective eye on. But if you have something else in your arsenal to bring to bear now would be the time to show it. She's here, right now, watching our match and if you have something up your sleeve stronger than your earlier spells, I'm almost positive that it might impress her."

With eyes wide Bell considered Bete's words before resolve filled his being. He wanted to impress Aiz Wallenstein's. He wanted to earn Bete Loga's respect. He wanted to wow all the Adventurers watching with a sight they wouldn't ever forget. So, with his wants and wishes adding fire to his already burning resolve, Bell gripped Baal's Metal Vessel in both hands and focused.

Channeling his magoi into the blade, Bell watched as countless sparks of electricity started to travel up the length of his blade before he closed his eyes and moved his focus to what he was feeling instead of what he was seeing. His Djinn had told him that he needed to make his lightning as dense as possible before coating his sword with it. He didn't know how to judge the density of electricity with his eyes so he would try using his other senses instead. Sound was already crossed out of the possible senses to use as electricity only sounded louder when he brought forth more of the power and he wanted density instead of quantity. Similarly, smell and taste were not options for obvious reasons, and that just left one sense left; touch. With his sense of touch and ability to sense the flow of his magoi, Bell was willing to bet his remaining magoi that he could finally achieve the next step in his journey as a king.

With his eyes closed, Bell channeled all of his focus to his sense of touch and magoi sensing. With such focus, Bell only needs seconds to realize something he had failed to notice every other time he at attempted his daily magoi training, that the skin of his arms and the hairs that attached to said skin would not only stand up and tingle when Baal's lightning magic flowed over them but that how much they tingled changed based on how dense the magic above them was.

_I've got it!_ Bell thought to himself as a wide smile formed on his face. _I've finally got it!_

With one more push of intense concentration Bell fixated on making the electricity around his arms as dense as possible, making the hair on his arms stand on end like a terrified cat and causing his muscles to slightly spasm randomly, before he channeled his now dense lightning magic into his Metal Vessel and felt something click into place.

"**Metal Vessel: Djinn Weapon Equip: Baal Saiqa!**"

Bell's world flashed as his Metal Vessel filled the world with light, and when the world returned to normal Bell could tell he had changed, both on the outside and the inside.

In Bell's eyes, and the eyes of his opponent and his spectators, Bell now looked like a human who had somehow given himself light blue dragon-like scales on his arms, starting from his fingers and ending at his elbows. And yet that wasn't the change that garnered the most attention, that accomplishment went to Bell's sword that had also changed during the flash of light. His once high quality, if utilitarian, longsword had been replaced with a much more extravagant sword with a pristine white blade, a hilt decorated with a coiling serpentine design that surrounded a glowing red gem. All along the changed blade's length arcs of electricity sparked and crackled filling Bell's nose with the particular sent that only large amounts of the energy gave off.

Across from the young adventurer who was starring at his new weapon with wide eyes Bete just grinned at the sight of an adversary showing off something new to keep the match going, before lowering his center of gravity to begin his charge at the white-haired Adventurer. With his vastly superior stats as a Level 5 Adventurer, the Werewolf got within his opponent's guard within seconds and launched a vicious looking palm strike towards Bell's chest.

"**Bararaq Awajt!**"

"Shit!"

Only to be launched backward when another streak of lightning fell from the heavens, struck Bell's transformed sword, which then released a perfectly circular shockwave of electricity that blasted Bete backward with a painful shock.

"Sorry, Mr. Bete." Bell narrowed his red gaze on his opponent. "But if you want to win, I'm going to make it as difficult as I can for you."

While keeping his eyes on the recovering Werewolf, Bell lowered his sword to point its tip at the ground before him, then he chanted yet another spell.

"**Bararaq Kauza!**"

Instead of the flash of lightning that most of the audience had come to expect from the young teen, this spell resulted in a flurry of sparks rising from his skin like smoke from a fire. Bete only had a moment to taken in the result of this new magic before Bell's flashing sword, moving three times faster than it had before, nearly gutted him. With a grunt, the older Adventurer leaped out of the way of the swipe and put a dozen paces between him and his foe. Yet, that room meant nothing as after he landed, he found Bell again within striking range.

For Bell, after using the new spell that's knowledge had suddenly filled his head after achieving Djinn Equip, he felt stronger than ever before. He felt like he could move faster than wind and punch a Minotaur's head off. So, after Bete dodged his first attack, Bell, seeing the whole world moving slower than normal, saw no reason not to continue his attack. With three steps Bell was once again in Bete's personal space, and his new sword was once again threatening to draw blood. With a bright smile, Bell launched Baal's sword into a straight stab towards Bete's stomach.

However, this time when Bete saw yet another threat to his health, he finally stopped holding back. With a slap that moved nearly at the speed of sound, Bete backhanded the offending weapon so that it was nearly launched out of Bell's hand. Then, with his savage grin on his lips, he leaned backward and lashed out at Bell with a vicious right kick that the white-haired boy, even with his new speed, barely managed to dodge. Then when Bete flowed from his right kick into a left sweep-kick that forced Bell to hop over the attack, the Werewolf stepped forward quickly and landed a punch in the Hestia Familia Adventurer's gut that launched Bell back fifteen paces.

"Well. Well." Bete smirked at a recovering Bell. "I'm rather impressed. Whatever spell you're using to keep up with me is no joke. With it, and the element of surprise, I'm pretty sure you could take down even a veteran Fourth Level Adventurer. Let's see how much more you can handle."

"I'll do my best Mr. Bete." Bell struggled to gasp out as he gulped in large breaths of air. "I'll do my best."

Without waiting for the Loki Familia Adventurer to respond Bell rushed back into melee range and tried to draw an upward cut from the Werewolf's hip to his shoulder. To avoid the impending attack Bete waited for just the last second before leaping and flipping over the white-haired Adventurer's swing, landing behind the younger boy ready to unleash a devastating blow to Bell's back but was then forced to bend at a nearly a ninety-degree angle at the waist to avoid a follow up slash from Bell's sword.

Back and forth, the two adventurers traded blows. Bell's sword flashed like lightning and whenever it struck the Colosseum floor it impacted like thunder while Bete's fists moved like the wind and struck with the intensity of an avalanche. At times Bell would come within inches of landing a decisive blow but a sudden jerk from Bete would see the Werewolf just dodge the boy's sword, leaving naught but a shallow scratch while at the same time it was all Bell could do, even with his enhanced speed, to avoid the brawler's more devastating hits while tanking the lesser blows. Their fight was still a battle of attrition, and it was one that Bell knew he would lose.

_This is bad, I'm almost out of magoi. _Bell's thoughts whirled at a mile a second, searching for any way he could turn the fight around. _I need something powerful, something significant, I need something that Mr. Bete can't shrug off. I need-!_

Like the bolts of lightning that he called down from the sky, an idea flashed through Bell's mind. That idea then turned into a plan that would allow him to leave his mark on Adventurer society. So, with a sudden confident grin, Bell-

"**Bararaq Await!"**

Using the space that his spell gave him Bell put some distance between him and his opponent and began funneling what magoi he had left into his Djinn Weapon Equip. Somehow, whether it through adaptation or just from Bete learning how to read Bell's fighting style, the Loki Familia Adventurer anticipated what Bell would do after his spell and was already kicking up dirt to close the distance between the two of them again. Fortunately for Bell, he had anticipated that.

"**Bararaq Sayaajun!"**

With another new spell, Bete prepared himself for the worst, stopping his charge, spreading his stance in preparation to dodge left or right, and crossing his arms in front of his chest to protect the lightning wound that was already there. His caution was well-founded when five streaks of lightning fell from the sky in his general direction and began moving randomly, carving deep gashes into the arena floor. The spell forced Bete to waste precious seconds dodging the lightning that just kept coming down and trying to hit him, all the while Bell focused on preparing one last spell.

Bell smiled when he felt his changed sword fill with enough magoi, all that he had left. He pointed it at Bete and cried out to the world;

"**Bararaq Saiqa!"**

Light filled the stadium as a large blue beam of destruction tore its way out of Bell's sword towards Bete, turning the sand of the arena it passed over into glass and kicking up a cloud of dust that glowed in the light that the attack produced. Even when cast with only the final dregs of Bell's magoi, the power of this spell dwarfed that of anything that the white-haired boy had cast before and everyone in the arena could feel it, as their hairs stood on end while just being in the general vicinity of the attack… including Bete Loga.

Loga's orange eyes widened in alarm as the blue beam disintegrated everything between him and his opponent. This attack wasn't something he could just brush off, even if he was a Level 5 and Bell was only a Level 1. If he didn't act fast this spell could cause him serious damage, maybe even to the point that hi career as an Adventurer might be over.

The second after his eyes widened with alarm a wide, excited grin stretched across his cheeks.

_I can't complain, I did tell him to go all out didn't I._

"**Hati:** **Chained Fros. The first wound, Gelgja. The second wound, Gjöll. The third wound, Þviti. O lineage of enmity, pray use this vessel and devour the moon, drink greedily from its overflowing cup. Bare your fangs—and devour all! Úlfheðinn!"**

Flames erupted around Bete's form as his magic spell took hold and not a moment too soon. A sound not dissimilar to a volcano erupting echoed through the arena when the blue bean struck the red flames of Bete's magic, and the flames of **Hati** fought valiantly against the destruction of **Bararaq Saiqa** but ultimately, because the spell was cast with a shortened chant, they failed and Bell's attack broke through. Yet, the flames had held long enough for Bete's skill to take effect.

Bete Loga's body twitched and pulsated as the light of the full moon above activated and sped up his transformation caused by his skill **Úlfheðinn**. His teeth sharpened and elongated, his hair grew slightly longer and wilder, the muscles not covered by his outfit stiffened and bulged, and his nails grew until they were fully-fledged claws. With his metamorphosis complete the Werewolf instinctually focused the last vestiges of his spell to his clawed hands as he stopped the attack dead in its tracks.

The beam pushed Loki Familia Adventurer back a few paces but soon after fizzled out and died, leaving Bete Loga slightly charred and crispy but ultimately alive and quite joy full as he allowed the effects of his skill to leave his body.

That was all Bell could see as his sight began to blur before the Hestia Familia Adventurer's world went black and all he could feel was pain.


End file.
